


Countdown

by iridescent_lies



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst, Break Up, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-01 02:17:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21331918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iridescent_lies/pseuds/iridescent_lies
Summary: When Wooseok asked Seungwoo for a temporary break up to see other people for two months, Seungwoo reluctantly agreed, planning to let those two months pass without seeing anyone and just wait for Wooseok to come back to him.But then, Cho Seungyoun happened.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Han Seungwoo, Han Seungwoo/Kim Wooseok | Wooshin
Comments: 69
Kudos: 175





	1. Seungwoo and Wooseok

If Seungwoo would think of how it started, it was during dinner where it all went wrong.

“Oh yeah,” Seungwoo exclaimed, remembering the mail that came in earlier in the afternoon. “Noona’s invitation for her wedding just came in the mail, thank God they finally settled on the date. It’ll be next month on the 23rd, do you think you could take a time off?”

“Let me check first, but I think it’s doable,” Wooseok answered somewhat distractedly.

“Great, I’ll tell Noona we’ll be able to come down to Busan by the 20th. Mom keeps on calling me saying she misses you already, she barely even greeted me,” Seungwoo pouted, sometimes he thought that she likes Wooseok more than him.

“I have always been her favourite,” Wooseok slightly teased.

“Yeah right,” he snorted. “Wait, let me tell you what Yohan did last week…” he proceeded to regale Wooseok of Yohan’s latest attempt on impressing Hangyul with a stapler and a carrot. Usually, Wooseok would have laughed his hardest, he had always found Yohan's antics funny but that night Seungwoo already finished his story and he barely even cracked a smile.

“Is there a problem, babe?” Seungwoo asked. “You’ve been quiet since you came home.”

Wooseok opened his mouth then closed it again. He looked conflicted, hesitant about what he was about to say.

"What--" he swallowed. "What do you think about breaking up and seeing other people?"

Well, fuck. He _did not_ expect that.

"_What?_" The word escaped Seungwoo's lips in whisper.

Wooseok bit his lips, he started twisting the chopsticks in his hand, a habit he always did whenever he felt unsure and nervous.

"I mean, not permanently, just for a little while. Three or Four months?" Wooseok looked up to Seungwoo with his large eyes, trying to convey unsaid words Seungwoo couldn't understand, was refusing to understand.

“Is this some sort of joke? Are you pranking me right now?”

“Hyung…”

"What are you saying, Wooseok?" Seungwoo had always been the calm one in the relationship, he spoke softly, mulled over his thoughts three times before saying them. But right now he couldn't helped raising his voice. Panic was gripping his throat, suffocating him, he couldn't breathe.

This was not happening.

"Let's take a break, but only for a short while. Like only for four months? See other people during then, do our own thing and after that we're getting back together."

Seungwoo continued to stare at Wooseok. Confusion and hurt evident on his eyes. He turned towards his food, tried swallowing the potato that looked appetizing earlier but now tasted like cement. A million thoughts run through his head, words were trying to spill over but he held them in.

_What happened? Were you not happy anymore? Did I do something wrong? Didn't we just talk about adopting a cat or a dog from the nearby shelter? Did you find someone new? Did you--_

"Did you fall in love with someone else?"

"What?!" Wooseok eyes almost went our of their sockets, shocked of what he heard, clearly not expecting that this was how Seungwoo gonna take it.

(But how else was he supposed to?)

"No, no, _no_, **no**," he rose from his seat and scrambled to Seungwoo's side of the table, cupping his face with both hands. They were ice cold.

"No, Hyung. There is no one else," he continued shaking his head. "You're still it for me." Wooseok's eyes were boring deeply into his soul.

If Wooseok thought that the statement would relieve him, he thought wrong, his panic continued to rise, something lodged in his throat that he could barely speak, barely even breathe because if there was no one else...

"Then, why?" He took Wooseok's hands away from his face, gripping them tightly. "Why do you suddenly want to break up?"

"Hyung, its only temporary, think of it as if we're taking a break then we'll be back together after a few months."

Seungwoo shook his head in disbelief, he stood up and left the dining area to calm himself. He ended up in the living room, pacing.

_Breathe in. Breath out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat._

During this short moment, Wooseok stood nearby. Never touching Seungwoo, simply standing by his peripheral waiting for him to get his shit back.

(Not any time soon.)

When Seungwoo turned around to face Wooseok, he could see him trying to make himself small by hunching his arms around his body. Wooseok often did that whenever he wanted to protect himself, be it from cold, people or from situations. Seungwoo almost reached out for him on reflex. He clenched his fist instead.

"Where is this coming from? If there's no one else, why are we having a break?"

Wooseok uncrossed his arms and moved towards Seungwoo, slowly closing the distance between them. "Seungwoo, how long have you known me?"

Seungwoo's confusions were piling up, "Babe--" started to question but stopped once he saw the look in Wooseok's eyes, "I've known you since you were six and I was eight."

"And how long have we been dating?" Wooseok was standing in front of him.

Seungwoo couldn't help but let out a sigh of frustration. He didn't know where Wooseok's going with this line of questioning. Did he somehow overstay his welcome in Wooseok's life? Was that it? Was Wooseok tired of him already?

Nevertheless he answered, if only to get to the bottom of this madness. "We've been dating for eight years, since you were 17."

"And I'm 25 now, Hyung." Wooseok reached for Seungwoo's hands and started playing with his fingers, caressing them gently with his own. He looked up at Seungwoo, not letting go. "I've known you almost all of my life." He smiled softly.

The smile on Wooseok's face was bittersweet and something twisted in Seungwoo's gut.

"And do you regret that?" The words almost didn't come out of him, afraid of what Wooseok would answer.

Wooseok shook his head. "Never, I could never regret you." He wrapped his arms around body and then stared at the window behind Seungwoo. "It's just that..."

A beat. A few seconds. Then it became a moment too long for a heart that was about to burst out.

"You were all my first, the first one I had a crush on, the first person I fought with, first heartbreak and my first relationship." Wooseok then moved to sit down on the couch. "You were my first love, Hyung and you will probably be my last."

"Isn't that the same thing for me? You were my first love too," he could not believe that they were having this conversation. What he thought was going to be a quiet dinner was turning into a living nightmare.

"But have you ever thought..." Wooseok's forehead furrowed like he was struggling to get his thoughts organized. "What if there's supposed to be more and we missed out?"

_No. Because you're enough. I don't need anything more, because you're more than enough.  
_

"You're all I've ever known, Hyung," he continued. "I have never been with anyone but you. Never fallen in love with someone else, never held hands with another. All my life I was Seungwoo's Wooseok because you were all I ever had." He clutched Seungwoo's t-shirt in his hands and buried his face on it.

"I want to experience being with someone other than you."

Seungwoo's heart was breaking, it was slowly being chipped away, piece by broken piece.

"I could never regret you," Wooseok said quietly, the words muffled by his shirt but they rang so clear to Seungwoo’s ears and not letting him miss a single word. "But I'm scared that I would resent you. Five years, Ten, twenty years from now, what if I'd looked back and realized that I missed out on a lot of things, that I haven't really lived my life because I only limited my world to you?"

How could Seungwoo answer that?

Wooseok's voice was almost cracking. "I'm scared I would break us apart in the future."

When a minute passed and Seungwoo still haven't uttered a sound, Wooseok lifted his head. "Seungwoo?"

Gently, he removed Wooseok's hands from his shirt. "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep at the guest room. I'm sorry, but could you wash the dishes tonight?"

"Hyung, wait--" But Seungwoo already turned his back and walked towards the guest room leaving Wooseok behind. He went in, quietly shut the door and leaned against it, closing his eyes.

The tears he was holding back since earlier were now falling down his face, like shooting stars with no more wishes left in them.


	2. Like a habit, I could only love you like a fool

"Let’s break up, Wooseok-ah."

Words Seungwoo never thought he would utter escaped his lips, his voice rang clearly in the room. It had been three days since their conversation. Three days of Seungwoo avoiding Wooseok every morning before going to work, staying in the guest bedroom and only coming into their room to get his clothes, it had also been three nights of Seungwoo not getting more than two hours of sleep and three nights of Wooseok trying to stay up late in order to talk to him.

After three days and nights of thinking everything over and over, weighing the pros and cons (the cons far outweighed the pros), of what it could mean for their relationship (it would change, no matter how Wooseok insisted it wouldn't), and where would it lead them (might be to their end).

Pondering about the endless possibilities, most of them ending in their doom had Seungwoo in a state of constant exhaustion, both emotionally and physically.

And so he concluded that they couldn't keep going on like this forever, something's got to give, and it would either be Seungwoo's sanity or his heart.

He came home that night to Wooseok waiting for him in the couch, on the verge of falling asleep. Even half asleep, Wooseok immediately stood up and rushed towards him the moment Seungwoo stepped inside their home.

"Seungwoo-hyung, I take it back. Let’s not break up, it was a stupid idea anyway. So please just talk to--"

Seungwoo made up his mind.

"Let’s break up, Wooseok-ah."

Wooseok probably hadn't prepared himself for this. He clutched Seungwoo's sleeves like a lifeline. "W-what?"

The cons far outweighed the pros, by a mile.

Something already changed, no matter the outcome, the cogs already moved and disconnected and a chasm of hurt and fear was created between them.

It would not end well for them, the odds were stacked against them and he was completely aware of that.

But despite them all, Seungwoo was still the eight year old boy who would give his last candy to Wooseok just because he wanted it. The same 19-year old teenager who was determined to give Wooseok the world if he'd asked for it then.

And now when Seungwoo was 27, he did.

Wooseok was asking for the world, only without Seungwoo in it.

What else could he do but give it?

Seungwoo took Wooseok's hands with his and brought them to lips then kiss them gently and with his heart breaking, he repeated his words. "I said let’s do it, let’s break up."

Resignation and pain were painted in Wooseok's eyes.

"Are you agreeing to what I've asked last time or are you breaking up with me for real?"

Seungwoo let go of his hands and placed his arms around Wooseok's waist to hug him. It had only been more than three days but it felt like an eternity since the last time he had Wooseok this close. "What do you want it to be?"

"I don't wanna lose you forever, hyung."

_But you’re willing to lose me for a while. _

He smiled against Wooseok's hair. "Then you won't." He kissed Wooseok on his temple and looked him in the eyes. "Let's take a break for two months then we will talk." He was laying down his terms.

Wooseok was nodding his head vigorously. "I think two months are plenty enough as well."

"If and when you're seeing someone else, you'll tell me."

"I would ask that from you, too. Doesn't matter if I know them or not, please tell me if you're seeing someone."

"That's fair." _It’s not. Nothing has been fair since the start._

But it was a moot point and Seungwoo decided to let it go.

"Do you want to add anything else, Hyung?" Wooseok asked.

"When should I move out?"

Wooseok's forehead wrinkled. "Move out? What? No, you're still staying here, we both are."

Seungwoo raised his eyebrow. "The both of us staying here kinda defeats the purpose of taking a break from each other, babe."

He could almost hear Wooseok's brain turning. "I know. But I still want you here. This is our home, Hyung, without the both of us here, it won't be."

And for the first time since that dinner, he believed that Wooseok might still love him. He hugged him tighter.

"Well, I guess Byungchan won't be forced to take me in then." He felt Wooseok vibrate in silent laughter and he chuckled as well. "I'll stay at the guest bedroom,"

Then they kept standing in the living room, still hugging and slightly swaying to a tune only they could hear. For a while, they pretended that nothing was changing, that it was just another ordinary night, that later they would be watching a movie and cuddle. Seungwoo allowed himself a few more minutes to savor what could be their last hug for a while.

But nothing lasts forever so he had to ask, "Should we start tonight or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Wooseok answered in a heartbeat, not ready to let Seungwoo go just yet. He looked up to Seungwoo, memorizing his face. "Let us have tonight."

With that, Seungwoo could no longer hold himself back. He dipped his head and caught Wooseok by his mouth, kissing him, savouring him like a starving man who hasn’t had his fill in decades and when Wooseok kissed back, the world fell away.

No one existed but them, Seungwoo couldn’t feel the cold night air emitting from the open window or even hear the usual loud ticking of the grandfather’s clock from the corner of the room, creating the illusion that for a while, fate was kind and time had stopped.

He couldn’t feel or hear everything that wasn’t Wooseok warm skin or shaky breaths.

Wooseok moved his arms from Seungwoo's back to his nape, kissing him with the same force and hunger. He pulled Seungwoo harder against his body that not even air could pass by between them. Seungwoo pressed his tongue to the seam of Wooseok’s lips and with the granted access, immediately delved the insides of his mouth, gasps and moans escaping their lips.

Wooseok hands lifted Seungwoo’s shirt and he began exploring the expanse of his back, fingers tracing the dips and the hard muscles, nails leaving red streaks and half-moon marks were indented on Seungwoo’s skin.

Seungwoo retaliated and possessively began leaving wet kisses on Wooseok’s skin, nipping his neck, his pulse point and his jaw then back again to the mouth, tongues sliding against each other, adding more pressure to the lips, deepening further the kiss.

The both of them were trying to leave their marks, trying to say unspoken words like ‘_I was here’ _and ‘_He was mine’._

The kisses weren’t soft or gentle like they were used to; they were rough and frantic as if chasing something that seemed to be always out of reach. They were forceful and they were bruising but beneath the urgency, there was love.

They kissed like it was the first time. They kissed like it would be their last.

After what felt like an eternity and a half, they slowed down considerably, the desperate kisses turned to feather-light touches of lips and kitten licks. They pulled apart, taking shallow shaky breaths, drinking in the sight of each other and after a while, Seungwoo placed small kisses on Wooseok's lips, kissed his nose and then lingered on his forehead.

Seungwoo drew a deep breath and whispered, "I'm gonna miss you, Kim Wooseok."

Wooseok swallowed the lump in his throat. "After two months, we're getting back together, nothing will change and we will be as we were before." Tears were starting to slip from his eyes.

Seungwoo wiped them with a chuckle, "Hey, why are you crying, babe? This has been your idea."

Then Wooseok was full-on sobbing. "Say it, Han Seungwoo. We'll be back together by the end of all this, nothing will change. Just say it. Please."

There was nothing in the world he wanted more than to say those words back but Seungwoo might be a fool but he was not naive.

He tenderly took Wooseok's face in both of his hands. "Wooseok-ah, what if you'll fall in love with someone else?"

And silence.

"I won't." He looked at Seungwoo straight in the eyes.

Seungwoo shook his head. "You don't know that, babe."

"I do," he said with so much conviction, Seungwoo wanted to believe him. "Because I'll always come back to you, Han Seungwoo. **I love you**. You know that you're_ it_ for me. Nothing has changed."

Seungwoo stared at the only man he had ever love and decided to trust him. "Then I'll wait for you," he whispered. 

* * *

_Day 1_

Seungwoo didn't know what woke him up. Maybe it was the light entering in between the gaps of the curtains, hitting his face; maybe it was the sweat he could feel streaming on his nape or maybe it was weight splaying across his body.

Either way, Seungwoo had woken up and after a few seconds of disorientation, flashes of what happened the night before rushed in, remembering them all made him want to go back to sleep and forget everything and everyone but the man who was the reason why he was losing the feeling of his right arm.

Sometime in the night Wooseok gravitated towards him, like he had always done every time they sleep together. His head pillowed on Seungwoo's arms, still sleeping deeply, Wooseok doesn't snore but he lets out this small kitten-like noises that Seungwoo always found adorable.

From his vantage point, Seungwoo observed the sleeping man in his arms, looking at the old pimple marks, the scar under the corner of his right eye that was usually unnoticeable, his chapped lips, and that bit of sunburn on his nose he still had from their beach outing a week ago, made Seungwoo smile. Seungwoo loved all these tiny imperfections of Wooseok because they made him human and real.

He hungrily roved his eyes on Wooseok's face, committing them all to memory- the slope of his lover's (could he still call him that?) nose, the cupid bow of his lips, the long lashes that Seungwoo admire; He was trying to keep them all, hoarding them in the small pockets of his mind.

All too soon, Wooseok was starting to stir and Seungwoo could feel the claws of desperation tearing at his throat, wanting to grab hold of the time for it to stop (_just 10 minutes more, five, a minute even, just a second more, I'll take it._) but it was slipping right through his fingers like sand.

"Hyung?" Wooseok was rubbing his face against Seungwoo's neck, not unlike a cat, trying to wake himself up.

_I need to wake up too._

Seungwoo cleared his throat before speaking, "Good morning, Wooseok-ah."

"Morning, what time is it?" Wooseok asked with a yawn. "Don't you have to go to work?"

Seungwoo squinted at the clock at the bedside table behind Wooseok. "It's past 9 in the morning, I guess I'll call in sick."

Wooseok nodded, eyes still closed. "Good thing that the gallery is under renovation for a week, I don't--" Wooseok's eyes snapped open, suddenly he was fully alert and staring at Seungwoo like he'd grown two heads overnight.

Seungwoo raised his eyebrow at him.

"Ah, uhmm.." Wooseok slowly got up from Seungwoo's arm, Seungwoo could see Wooseok having an internal panic, his eyes were darting from left to right like a cornered animal looking for escape.

Seungwoo rolled his eyes affectionately and started getting up as well. "Calm down," stretching his right arm to get the blood to circulate again. "You're acting like a virgin who got deflowered the night before."

He knew he succeeded distracting Wooseok when he glared at him with the force of a thousand suns. "Ha ha. Very funny, Han Seungwoo."

Seungwoo simply smiled at him. "Anyway, I'll be moving my stuff today to the guest room, so i suggest you get out of the house while I'm at it."

"I can help you," Wooseok offered.

"Eager to have me and my things out our room?" He teased.

Wooseok frowned. "You know that's not what I meant, Hyung."

Seungwoo shook his head. "It'll be much faster if I'd do it by myself, you always had the knack of making the work twice as hard and slow as its supposed to be."

Wooseok looked like he wanted to throw the nearest object he could lay his hands on at Seungwoo and he did. Luckily for him, it was a pillow that he easily caught before it made contact to his face.

"Fine!" Wooseok throw his hands up and started moving towards the door, presumably to start his day. "Have fun moving your stuff, don't expect me to offer help when you move them back in again," He scoffed.

The smile on Seungwoo's face widen at the implication of what Wooseok had said. "I won't even ask for it, sweetheart"

Wooseok turned around to sneer at him. Seungwoo just laughed in response.

"Please make me breakfast before you leave though," he continued to tease while making up the bed.

"Make your own damn breakfast," Wooseok snapped. "I am not your boyfriend anymore."

Seungwoo stilled in the process of fluffing up the pillows while Wooseok audibly snapped his mouth shut and just like that the mood turned ice cold.

"Sorry," Wooseok muttered after a long awkward silence ensued.

"Nah, its true," Seungwoo resumed fluffing the pillow up and placed it back on the bed.

"I'll go and make us breakfast," Wooseok said quietly then turned his back on Seungwoo and grabbed the doorknob.

_Han Seungwoo, you fucking idiot._

Seungwoo could feel the tell-tale sign of an incoming migraine, he resisted the urge to rub his temple. "You don't have to, Wooseok-ah. I was just teasing you. I'll make my own breakfast later."

"It's fine. There's not much difference when you make breakfast for one or two anyway," then Wooseok went out of the room and Seungwoo was left standing by the bed staring at the closed door.

When he he could no longer hear Wooseok's footsteps, Seungwoo flopped backwards on the bed and sighed.

It was only the first day and they were already a mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that was the most emotionally-charged kissing scene I've ever written. I don't want to do it again. HAHA.


	3. It's the end of the world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of narrations in this chapter, just a heads up, but otherwise, please enjoy!

_Day 2_

Like any other morning, Seungwoo's alarm woke him up, screeching the most godawful sound for his ears at 6:30 in the morning. He blindly searched for it in the blankets only to remember that he put it on the bedside table the night before. He worm-wriggled to the other side of the bed to shut it off.

He'd given himself five minutes to wake up before climbing off the bed to start his 20-minute daily work out.

At 7 o'clock, he took a shower to get ready for work, nicked his chin with the razor blade he still insists on using and styled his hair with the wax Minhee recommended, after 20 minutes he went out and pulled his work suit from the closet, he spent 10 minutes trying to fix his neck tie but ultimately gave up when it came out all wrong despite the numerous times he tried to tie it up. He proceeded to look for his one clipped on neck tie but couldn't seem find it among his pile. He sighed, deciding to go to work without a tie, it was not the first time anyway.

By 8:10, he knew he was already running late, his car was at the shop so he had to take the subway and the 20-minute commute from the house to his company wouldn't allow him enough time to have his breakfast. He'd just have to get coffee on the way.

He went out of the house at exactly 8:20 with his briefcase, and brisk walked towards the station, luckily there seemed to be only few people making their way towards the station. When the train arrived, he was pleasantly surprise that there were empty seats that were not for handicapped, pregnant women or the elderly, this was not usually the case whenever he rides the subway to work. He took a seat, taking his phone out his pocket and spent the entire subway ride reading emails.

He arrived at the company 10 minutes before 9 o'clock and considered to count that as one of his small victories, though the guard on duty looked at him strangely while doing his customary body-check. He knew he should have worn the neck tie, but what was done was done and besides no reminders for meetings pop up on his phone, he could be a little untidy for the day and no one would judge him. Hopefully.

While waiting for the elevator that would bring him up to his office, he remembered something he'd forgotten.

"Goddamnit, I did not get my coffee," he sighed and contemplated whether he would go out and get a coffee or just call Yohan and ask him to do a coffee run.

After a few seconds of thinking it over, he called Yohan. Five rings and finally his assistant answered.

"Ye--llo?" he answered with what suspiciously was a yawn.

Seungwoo frowned. "Yohan-ah, did you just wake up?"

"Huh? Seungwoo-hyung?" He could hear the tell-tale shuffling and scrambling of Yohan in his bed. "What, no, I actually just got off the train station." A thud, Yohan must have fallen off his bed in his haste.

"Did you, really?" He grinned at his shoe. Then Seungwoo heard the ding sound of the elevator and looked up, he waited for the cleaning lady to go out before he entered, still grinning as Yohan continued to invent elaborate lies on the other end of the line. He pressed the number 28 on the elevator button and the door closed.

"-- just bumped into a lady, I'm really sorry Miss! Anyway, do you need anything, boss man?"

"Well, since you are already on your way," he teased. "Could you swing by the coffee shop near the office? I forgot to buy coffee."

"Sure thing, boss! I'm already in front of the coffee shop, I'll just go in." He could hear Yohan swinging a door, the brat was really making some sort of radio skit. 

"Oh, wow, the line is so long. Boss, would it be okay if it'll take more than a few minutes? Say, like near an hour? I'm like the 25th in the line."

At this point, Seungwoo was busting a lung trying to contain his laughter.

"Sure thing, Yohan-ah. Take your time." He ended the call and burst out laughing. It was a good thing he was alone in the elevator.

A few seconds later, his phone rang again, still giggling, he looked at it and saw Yohan's name on the screen, he would probably add more elaborate scenarios to make his lie believable, got to hand it to the kid, he was nothing but thorough. Seungwoo decided to humor him.

He answered his phone. "What, Yohan-ah? Did their coffee machine break that you need to go another coffee shop across town?"

"I can't believe you did this to me, Hyung~~ " Yohan whined.

"Did what?" he continued to tease.

"Today is Saturday!"

Seungwoo stilled. "It is?"

"We don't have work," he continued as if he didn't hear Seungwoo. "I can't believe you pranked me like this after you pawned off your work to me yesterday. I fell off my bed, Hyung!" He could almost hear Yohan pout.

Seungwoo let out an awkward chuckle in response.

"You know that I sleep in during weekends--"

At that exact moment, the elevator dinged and opened, Seungwoo arrived to an almost empty floor, he could only see few employees who work during weekends. "Wait, was that the elevator? Hyung, are you at the office?"

He turned his attention back to Yohan. "Ah, yes, Yohan-ah. I'm at the office. Sorry for disrupting your sleep."

"Why are you there?"

_Because I'm a dumbass who apparently can't keep track of his life now._

"I have some work to finish." He speed-walked towards his office, unlocked the door and entered.

"Oh well, do you need me to be there?" He could hear Yohan rummaging through his closet.

"No, its fine. Enjoy your weekend, Yohan-ah. Sorry for waking you up." He went behind his table and sat down on the chair.

"Okay, hyung."

"But don't think I've forgotten you'd just lied to me. You're the 25th in the line, huh?"

"Hyung--" After ending the call, he leaned back against his chair and stared at his ceiling.

Now what?

* * *

_Day 3_

His Sunday was slightly better than his Saturday in his opinion. He still woke up at 6:30 and did his 20-minute daily work out, took a shower, and had his breakfast, but at least he didn't forget that he doesn't need to go to work. So to make himself productive, he holed himself inside his bedroom to catch up on his reading.

He ordered pizza for lunch and when it arrived an hour later, he knocked on Wooseok's door to ask him if he wanted any only to find out that he was not at home when no one answered.

He shrugged. Guess, the pizza will be his dinner as well.

He turned on his phone, and other than Jinhyuk asking if he wanted to hang out (to which he had declined, claiming he wanted to finish his book), he received no messages. He turned it off.

He spent the rest of the day reading until it was 11 in the evening and Wooseok still wasn't at home.

At 11:30, he was pacing in the living room, contemplating whether to call Wooseok and ask him where the hell he was or just leave it be. He was dialling Wooseok's number when the front door opened.

He turned his head towards the door and Wooseok looked at him, slightly taken aback.

"Hyung? You're still awake?"

"Ah, yeah," He answered distractedly. He was drinking in the sight of Wooseok wearing black leather jacket over a white shirt and leather pants, his glasses nowhere on his face. "I was... reading," he finished off lamely and pointed to the closed book on the couch.

"Oh, okay." Wooseok took off his boots at the hallway, and walked barefooted towards his room. He couldn't help follow him with his eyes until he disappeared behind the bedroom door with a quiet "Good night, Hyung."

Seungwoo stood in the living room, in all his oversize shirt and sweat pants glory, still staring at the closed door, waiting for it to open again, for Wooseok to ask how his day went, or if he had dinner already.

The door stayed firmly shut.

* * *

_Day 5_

It was Tuesday and Seungwoo already wanted the week to end. Work had been stressing him out more than ever. They just lost a deal, a potential client, to their competitor and it was his fault.

He was careless and didn't review the material of his staff which he normally did before they give the proposal to their clients, not because he didn't trust his people, but because he just liked to be informed of everything that goes in and out of his department. And the papers were sitting on his desk since probably Thursday and he didn't even take a look.

Seungwoo sighed and leaned back on his chair. It wasn't really a big loss, but a client was a client and they should have had it in the bag.

While he was berating himself, his phone rang. He answered it without looking at his screen.

"Yes?"

"Hyung!" Byungchan's cheerful voice was unmistakable. "How are you? I haven't seen you for a month."

It was impossible not to smile when hearing Byungchan's voice. "I'm fine, Byungchan-ah. It was just a busy month."

"Oh, do you have time later today? Let's eat out, I miss you already, Hyung."

His smile widen, he missed Byungchan too. He looked at his watch. "I'll be off by six probably, let's meet at the usual place by 6:30?"

"Sure! And bring Wooseok-hyung," the smile was dropped from Seungwoo's face. "It’s been a while since I've seen him too."

Before he could respond, Byungchan already dropped the call.

Promptly at six, he walked towards the restaurant where we was meeting Byungchan. When he went inside, his dongsaeng was already sitting and waving at him. He returned the wave and approached him.

"Hyung! I miss you!" The chair almost toppled over when Byungchan ran to hug him.

He hugged back and ruffled Byungchan's hair. "I miss you too, brat."

"Where's Wooseok-hyung?" He looked over Seungwoo's shoulder expecting Wooseok to pop up. When he didn't, Byungchan looked at Seungwoo, confused.

Seungwoo avoided his stare. "Ah, he was busy." Then he sat at the opposite Byungchan's.

Seungwoo picked the menu he knew by heart. He had been staring at it but the words were gibberish. Luckily, he already knew what he wanted and ordered them after asking Byungchan what he wanted to which the younger responded that he already ordered earlier.

They've been talking for thirty minutes already, catching up with each other, during this time, Byungchan tried to bring up Wooseok four times and Seungwoo kept successfully dodging the topic, or so he thought.

"Hyung, is there a problem between you and Wooseok-hyung?" Byungchan finally asked point-blank, wrapping the beef with _ssam_ expertly.

Seungwoo hesitated, wondering if he should burden his dongsaeng with their problems. In the end, he decided to be honest. "We broke up,"

Byungchan wasn't expecting that.

"YOU WHAT?!" The words were garbled since the younger was currently chewing on his food. Then he proceeded to choke. Alarmed, Seungwoo immediately gave Byungchan a glass of water.

Byungchan reached for the glass and drank from it. All the while coughing and tapping his chest. After he had finally calm down, he looked at Seungwoo in bewilderment.

"You broke up?!" Byungchan asked, a little bit hysterical. "You and Wooseok-hyung? Are you sure?"

Seungwoo almost rolled his eyes. "Yes, Byungchan-ah, I was there when it happened."

"But.. but.. That can't be. You're like the perfect couple, Hyung. You know, that nauseating couple who, even though they've been together for years still call each other by gross nicknames, the ones who are so disgustingly sweet with each other that you make people around you lose their appetite."

"Wow, thanks."

Byungchan waved his hand dismissively. "I mean, you are each other's end game, Hyung. We even have a bet going on when's your wedding gonna be."

"Who's we?"

Byungchan snorted. "Well, now that you're all broken up, no one's winning it, so does it matter?" He leaned across the table. "Seriously, Hyung. The relationship can't be over. It's you and Wooseok-hyung, the next thing you're gonna tell me is that the world's ending, there's got to be something more. So spill, Seungwoo-hyung"

Seungwoo sighed. He wanted to run his fingers through his hair but remembered just in time that there were grease all over them. "Technically we are broken up at the moment, but..." Wooseok didn't say anything about not telling anyone of their deal so he told Byungchan the whole story.

Byungchan was rendered silent after hearing what Seungwoo just told him.

"And you agreed to that, hyung?" he asked.

Seungwoo shrugged. "It's what he wants."

"And that was okay with you?"

"Of course not," Seungwoo answered honestly. "But what can I do? He clearly wasn't happy on the way things were going, and I--" He stared at the meat on the grill that were already charcoaled by then. "I can't lose him, Byungchan-ah."

Byungchan bit his lips and was silent. After a while, he asked. "So are you going date other people as well?"

"No," there was no hesitation on Seungwoo's answer. "I'll just wait for him to come back, it’s just two months."

"A lot could happen in two months," the younger countered.

Seungwoo shook his head. "I've been in love with him since I was 17, I doubt I would fall in love with someone else in two months."

Byungchan looked like he wanted to argue but in the end he probably decided there was no changing Seungwoo's mind so he just drank his water.

No one in the table addressed the elephant in the room:

Seungwoo wouldn't fall in love with someone else, but what if Wooseok would?

* * *

_Day 8_

Some people thought that the end of the world would come through this huge fiery ball of gas from outerspace, some thought it would be raining spears of ice from heaven and flood the earth, or that it would be when the four horsemen of apocalypse come riding through.

For Seungwoo, the end of the world came in four words:

"I am seeing someone."

"Oh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is description-heavy but please bear with me, they are all important (and maybe, I just love to put in small details, haha.)
> 
> Spoiler Alert:  
*drumbeats*
> 
> The great Cho Seungyoun will be appearing the next chapter, hooray!!


	4. Interlude: The Boy Next Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooseok and Seungwoo, once upon a time..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry! I know I previously said that Cho Seungyoun will be appearing the next chapter but I want to get this part out first. Though technically I didn't lie, Seungyoun will appear on the next chapter in the present. This is just an interlude. (Yes, that excuse is paper thin, im sorry!)

When Seungwoo was eight, a new family moved in besides Seungwoo's house and then a few hours later he met the boy next door. He was a tiny scared thing with large eyes, he observed, as the boy hid behind his mother when they were introduced, bunching her skirt in his hands.

"Hello!" Seungwoo greeted happily. "My name is Seungwoo, I'm eight." He offered his hand to the boy as he had often seen in TV when two people meet for the first time.

The boy looked at his hand then to his mother, silently asking for direction on what he should do. When his mother nodded and nudged him forward, the boy hesitatingly moved behind his hiding place and bent up to his waist.

"Hi, my name is Wooseok, I'm six" the boy, Wooseok greeted back, he looked at Seungwoo behind his bangs while gnawing on his lips.

Seungwoo's smile widen and he rushed towards the boy, startling him.

"Here," he took Wooseok's hand into his and shook it. "When someone raised their hands like this, you take it. It means you're saying its nice to meet you," Seungwoo explained gently.

The boy's already large eyes widen like saucers. "Oh!"

Seungwoo wanted to pinch both of his cheeks.

"And I'm older than you," Seungwoo continued. "So you can call me Hyung."

Wooseok's head titled to the side and for the first time, he looked directly into Seungwoo's eyes. "Hyung?"

Seungwoo only had two older sisters, he was the youngest and the only boy in the family, it went without saying that he was the one that was most doted on by his sisters and family and he had only interacted with kids his age in school so no one really called him Hyung before.

Seungwoo's let out a delighted chuckle and hugged Wooseok. Finally, he had a little brother. "Hyung's going to take care of you, Wooseokie."

* * *

°°°°

When Seungwoo was 12 and Wooseok was 10, they had their first real fight.

Since the first time they met, Seungwoo had been Wooseok's best friend and vice versa. Seungwoo treated Wooseok like a little brother; he doted on him, protected him from bullies, played with him and helped him with his homework whenever the younger boy asked.

Throughout the years they've known each other, Seungwoo could count the number of petty squabbles they had in two hands and those squabbles lasted only for an hour or two before they were back to playing with each other again.

But there was a time when Seungwoo stopped going home with Wooseok because he started started playing football after school with his other friends and Wooseok was lonely and mad.

And for kid!Wooseok, lonely and mad were not a good combination. Believing that Seungwoo would understand, he told Seungwoo of his feelings, but instead of placating the younger boy, Seungwoo accused him of being selfish and the shouting match started, it only stopped when their mothers pulled them apart and scolded them.

A week passed and they had not talked since.

Seungwoo in his self-righteousness believed that he had the right to spend time with people that was not Wooseok and that the younger was only being clingy. He had always caved in to the boy's whims but he was putting his foot down this time.

On the other hand, he was also missing his best friend.

With the intention of only taking a peak at Wooseok (he assured himself), Seungwoo went to the younger boy's classroom on his way to the football field (that was on the other side of the school) and what he found there broke his small heart.

Wooseok was sitting alone by his table (his classmates probably went home already), head down and alternately sniffing and wiping his tears with his hands. Seungwoo stood frozen by the door for a few moments, Wooseok still hadn't noticed him. After taking a deep breath, he walked towards the crying boy, taking his handkerchief out of his pocket.

When he reached Wooseok's table, he knelt in front of him and started wiping Wooseok's tears.

Wooseok was startled. "Wha-what?" He caught the intruder's hand to stop him and when he saw that it was Seungwoo, he scowled.

"Go away!"

Seungwoo sighed. "Let me wipe your snot first," then attempted to wipe Wooseok's nose.

Wooseok avoided Seungwoo's hands and crossed his little arms. "Leave me alone and go play with your other friends!"

Seungwoo stood up and put his hands on his hips. "Kim Wooseok, stop being childish and let me clean your face."

Wooseok ignored him and gazed outside the window instead.

Seungwoo irritably looked at Wooseok, the kid was gonna be the death of him, he thought. He almost gave up and walked away when another batch of tears flowed down Wooseok's cheeks.

Seungwoo caved in. He sat down on Wooseok's table and took hold of Wooseok's face and started wiping his tears while Wooseok tried to get his face away from Seungwoo's hands.

"Hyung is sorry, Wooseok-ah."

Wooseok stopped struggling.

"Hyung is sorry for making you cry and leaving you alone."

When Wooseok still hadn't answered, he added: "Forgive me?"

Seungwoo could see Wooseok's lips wobbled before he proceeded to bawl out and hug Seungwoo's waist.

"I was so lonely, Hyung!!" He cried out. "You don't pl-play with me anymore and Y-you stopped going home with me, and I was- I was so scared to cr-cross the street a-lone and then you got mad when I tried t-t-to tell you!"

Seungwoo ran his hands though Wooseok's hair to comfort him, he could feel his shirt getting damp. "I'm sorry, Wooseokie, Hyung's sorry. I'll go home with you from now on and we'll play together."

Wooseok raised his head to look at him. "Promise?"

Seungwoo nodded.

"What about your other friends and football?"

He thought for a moment. "Lets compromise, Wooseokie, Hyung really wants to continue playing football but I also want to go home with you so how about, I'll only play during official practice and on those days you'll wait for me so we could go home together? Hmm?"

Wooseok slowly nodded. "I don't want you to stop playing altogether either, I ca-can see that you enjoy it, Hyung."

Seungwoo smiled fondly at the boy and ruffled his hair. "Yes, your Hyung's gonna be a famous football player someday, Wooseok-ah."

Wooseok giggled. "You can do it, Hyung. I'll cheer you on!"

"Thank you," he pinched both of Wooseok's cheeks. "Now lets clean you up so we could go home together," Seungwoo wiped Wooseok's face again and placed the handkerchief by his nose for the younger to blow his remaining snot into.

"Don't you have football practice, Hyung?" Wooseok asked after blowing his nose.

Seungwoo shook his head and put his handkerchief back inside his pocket. "Football practices are scheduled every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only. We were just supposed to play on our own today and I could skip it," He climbed down the table and helped Wooseok wear his bag.

Today was Wednesday. "Okay," Wooseok smiled at Seungwoo then they went out of the classroom to go home.

They were walking half-way home when Wooseok grabbed Seungwoo's shirt.

Seungwoo stopped and looked back at him. "Hmm?"

Wooseok looked up at Seungwoo and quietly said, "I'm sorry too, Hyung. For being selfish."

Seungwoo smiled at the kid and put his arms around his shoulder to start dragging him home. "Its okay, Wooseokie. You can always be selfish with me."

* * *

°°°°

At 17, Seungwoo realized that he was falling in love with Wooseok and the realization felt like being hit by a runaway Mack truck, leaving him breathless and gasping.

Seungwoo's nicely ordered world had become infused with rapid heartbeats, teenage hormones and erratic moods whenever the younger is concerned and that did not sit well with him.

Wooseok was his best friend, his little brother, someone who trusted and relied on him, not to mention they were both guys- Seungwoo could already foretell the outcome.

He had witnessed several people went from being friends to couples and then became strangers after they broke up. He could not afford to lose Wooseok like that. 

Looking at him giggle and laugh at the funny scenes of the movie they were currently watching while Wooseok's head was pillowed on his lap, Seungwoo decided he would not, he could not cross the line.

So he did what he thought what was for the best: he ignored his feelings and hoped it would just go away. Like it was a frigging flu.

But ignoring his feelings for the other boy was never an easy task, especially when Wooseok insisted on hanging out despite having different classes on the opposite sides of the campus, cheering him on from the bleachers in every game, telling him about his day, smiling at him, looking at him without a single clue that his best friend was falling deeper in love with every small gestures.

That was so cringy but Seungwoo couldn't laugh. He was in so deep it was even not funny.

He tried seeing other people but it wasn't the same, he learned to accept that after the third girl he took out on a date simply smiled at him and shook her head when he asked for a second one.

"You know, Seungwoo-sunbae, a girl knows when guy looks into her eyes and he sees someone else," she explained cryptically before leaving a confuse Seungwoo standing in front of an ice cream truck, two cones in both hands.

It was only when he reached home that he realized that the girl was quoting The Notebook (which Wooseok made him watch for a grand total of 16 times that he almost memorized every significant line.)

And so that was how he ended up here, here being at the school field on a Saturday and with the weather beginning to turn bad dribbling a football even after his teammates and coach already left ages ago, with his shirt soaked with sweat and rain and skin muddy, contemplating on what to do with his growing feelings for Wooseok.

After 30 minutes of his aimless exercise, he arrived to the conclusion that ignoring his feelings wasn't enough, he had to forget him.

But before he had to do that, he wanted to say the words out loud for the first and last time, he decided. The rain was starting to fall even harder when Seungwoo stopped dribbling, hands on his hips. He took a deep breath before letting the words he did not dare to say before:

"Wooseok, I like you," he finally said with the empty field as his witness and with rumbling thunder and sound of the rain muting the words. Four words. Just four words and it felt like he had just let go of heavy weight that he had been carrying, he felt so light.

He could finally let his feelings for Wooseok go.

That was until he turned around ready to get out of the rain and found Wooseok behind him, umbrella on one hand and his art materials on the other, confusion written all over his face.

"Hyung?"

Seungwoo felt his blood drained. Fuck.

"What are you doing here?! It's raining! " Wooseok was shouting and Seungwoo's knees wanted to collapse on him. Fuck. Did Wooseok hear him?

Unaware of Seungwoo's internal turmoil, Wooseok stepped closer and placed the umbrella over Seungwoo's head to shield him from the rain. "You're gonna get sick, Hyung. Let's go," he tugged Seungwoo's arms and dragged him towards the bleachers.

When they were finally on relatively dry lands, Wooseok turned to Seungwoo who was still as a statue. He frowned and took a clean towel from his backpack and started the impossible task of drying Seungwoo's hair.

"Bend down, you frigging giant," he scolded and when Seungwoo only continued to stare at him, he proceeded to drag his head down to the level where he needn't had to tiptoe. "What are you even doing practicing in this weather? Are you courting your own death?!" when Seungwoo didn't answer, Wooseok's already short patience snapped and he started shaking the boy in front of him.

The rough treatment managed to jar Seungwoo from his semi-comatose state. "Wooseok-ah, stop shaking me. I am a human being, not a rattle."

"Well, you should have answer me the first time I asked you a question!" The towel on his hands were already wet and Seungwoo is nowhere near to being dried. "I know you want to get the captain badge next year but my god, Hyung, if you keep this up the only thing you're gonna get is pneumonia, you idiot."

Wooseok continued ranting while Seungwoo stood by and let the boy fuss over him. When the towel on his hands were heavy with water, he simply wrung it and wipe Seungwoo again. An impossible and slightly useless task (the already wet towel was doing absolutely nothing in making him dry) but still Seungwoo endured the fussing and the insults in between.

Only when Wooseok started to lift Seungwoo's shirt up to wipe his body was where Seungwoo drew the line. He grabbed Wooseok's hand to stop him. "It's fine Wooseokie, I'll just take a warm bath at home," He took the towel from Wooseok and wiped away the droplets on Wooseok's face and arms, Wooseok's entire right side was wet from the rain.

Seungwoo then turned around and took a dry shirt from his gym bag a few steps away. "It's Saturday, what are you doing here at school, Wooseok-ah?" He handed the shirt to the boy.

Wooseok looked at the shirt on Seungwoo's hand. "You need that more than me, you moron," he pushed the shirt back to its owner. "I have an art project I need to pass on Monday and I can't work at home because mom has her friends over."

Seungwoo merely sighed and did not insist, he knew how stubborn Wooseok could be. He took off his shirt, and the wet shirt made a soft _splat _sound when it came in contact with the ground. The dry shirt he changed into felt heavenly on Seungwoo's cold skin, too bad he couldn't do anything about his wet shorts. And no, he would not take it off in front of Wooseok. 

Wooseok averted his eyes while Seungwoo dressed. "What about you? I saw some of your teammates going home earlier, why are you still here?"

With that question, Seungwoo remembered what he said and his head snapped towards Wooseok. "Did you hear anything?"

Wooseok frowned. "Heard what? Your teammates? No. I just saw them from the art classroom."

Seungwoo shook his head. "No, no. I mean, what I said- awhile ago.. in the field. When you were standing behind me."

The frown on Wooseok's face cleared up and he pensively looked at Seungwoo. "Why? Was it something important?"

Seungwoo looked back, gauging the expression on Wooseok's face and even with almost a decade of friendship under their belt, he still couldn't get a read on Wooseok's poker face. He could admit to Wooseok all about his feelings and be done with it. The worst thing that could happen was Wooseok would reject him and they would have an awkward month but they would bounce back after, he was sure of it. 

But in the end, Seungwoo was a coward, he didn't want to risk it after all. "No, it wasn't."

Wooseok turned away to gather the art materials he put on the bleachers earlier. "I didn't hear anything, Hyung. It was raining so hard, I bet you didn't hear me shouting at you."

At that moment, the rain began to thin out, they could probably head home without the risk of looking like a drown rat.

Seungwoo gathered his gym bag and put his wet shirt at the pocket. "Ahhh, you were probably cursing at me too." He took out his jersey jacket and placed it on Wooseok's shoulders.

Wooseok bristled. "I wasn't!" He handed the umbrella over to Seungwoo and properly wore the jacket, he rolled back the sleeves and zipped it up to his chin. He also took Seungwoo's cap from his bag without permission and secured it on his head. "I'm ready. Let's go home."

Seungwoo simply smiled and shook his head. _Cute._

That day, the both of them came home wet and dripping. Minutes after they went out of the school grounds, it started raining so hard again that even Wooseok's umbrella became a casualty.

That day, Seungwoo got sick and was absent for the whole week after.

That day, Wooseok had his heart broken for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here's a glimpse of Wooseok's and Seungwoo's past before we dive back into the present angst.
> 
> I swear on Seungyoun's washboard abs, he WILL appear on the next chapter.


	5. Cliches, Alcohol and Strangers

_Day 8_

Seungwoo was sitting at the dining table, trying to make sense of the latest copy of the company's financial reports from the accounting department. He has been staring at the numbers in his tab since that afternoon, their revenues were up compared to the previous quarter, but along with that, their expenses increased as well that resulted to a slight dip in their operating income. Checking the cash flow statement, Seungwoo surmissed that his department gonna have to cut back some expenses if they wouldn't get at least two new corporate clients next month or else there would be another shouting match with the finance head and he was in no mood for it.

The company wasn't suffering, far from it (being in the advertising industry is a lucrative business) but the old crone always liked to act they were on the verge of bankruptcy and Seungwoo didn't need another incoming headache.

He was thinking on which account they should focus on getting amongst his shopping list when Wooseok walked into the dining area, hands fidgeting on the strap of his mail bag, he probably just arrived from the gallery. Seungwoo raised his head and nodded in greeting before getting back to work.

A month ago, he would have scrambled and hastily gathered all the documents sprawled on the table or guiltily hid his tab.

A month ago, Wooseok would have hated it when Seungwoo brought back his work in their home and Seungwoo always tried not to but there were just some days that it couldn't be helped.

A month ago, he'd be just resigned to be in the doghouse for awhile until he was back on Wooseok's good graces and in bed.

But now, Seungwoo didn't even rise up from his chair (okay, he flinched but that was it) when Wooseok came in.

He was getting good at this pretend we're just normal roommate trope, Seungwoo wanted to fist bump himself.

_53 more days and it'll be over..._

Thinking that Wooseok would just be getting a drink and be on his merry way, Seungwoo continued scrolling on his tab but to his surprise, Wooseok pulled the chair across him and sat down.

"Have you eaten dinner yet, Hyung?" Wooseok initiated a conversation, would wonders ever cease?

Seungwoo nodded. "Yeah, I ate before coming home. What about you?"

"I did as well," Wooseok answered then his gaze zeroed in on the tab in Seungwoo's hands, he nodded towards it. "Work?"

Seungwoo smiled slightly. "Yeah, I didn't have the time review this earlier and we have a meeting tomorrow."

Wooseok pursed his lips but said nothing and a comfortable silence draped around them, it was almost just like the old times (though not really since Wooseok would have torn him a new one for bringing work at home).

But then he dropped the words that brought Seungwoo's world to a screeching halt.

"I am seeing someone."

He stilled. How was he supposed to respond to that? Nothing came to mind except for the thought that Wooseok really should stop dropping bombs at their dining table, but that was hardly appropriate.

So he settled for a simple, "Oh."

The once comfortable atmosphere turned suffocating and in effort to dispel it, Wooseok proceeded to fill Seungwoo about the guy he was seeing, he was a regular visitor of the art gallery he was working at, he said. A _chaebol_ who collects pieces of art like how people collect old coins and postage stamps.

Probably the type who had too much time and money on his hands, Wooseok mentioned offhandedly.

The guy asked him out yesterday while Wooseok was showing him the paintings of the new artist they are featuring for a month.

It was actually funny, Wooseok narrated. The guy was trying to get a word edgewise while Wooseok kept on spouting facts that in the end he interrupted Wooseok midsentence.

At some point in his story, Wooseok probably mentioned the guy's name. He might have even said more.

Seungwoo didn't hear it. Honestly, he barely heard anything after Wooseok announced he was seeing someone.

When Wooseok asked for a break, it was gut-wrenching pain. Pain mixed with confusion, anger, and overwhelming hurt. The kind that felt like he was drowning, desperate for air while water slowly filled up his lungs.

Now it felt like he was plunged straight into the Arctic Ocean, all he could feel was freezing coldness, he didn't even have time to flounder or take a deep breath and struggle. It was just cold and then he was numb. Deaf to his surroundings, blind to what he was before him. He didn't feel anything at all.

But somehow Seungwoo preferred that shattering pain from before to the mind-numbing emptiness now.

"--Hyung, Seungwoo-hyung, are you listening?"

Seungwoo snapped out of it. "Huh? Uh. Yeah, I was, Wooseok."

Wooseok looked at him like he didn't believe him but instead of calling him out on the obvious lie, he just sighed. "As I was saying, I'll be seeing him for the time-being. I... I just want to let you know because we promised that to each other."

Seungwoo nodded mechanically.

Wooseok continued staring at him, like he was gauging Seungwoo's reaction and Seungwoo had no idea what his face was giving him.

And when it was obvious that nothing more could be said, Wooseok started to rise, "I'll be heading in first, Hyung, I need to shower," but before he completely turned around he stopped.

"What is it?" Seungwoo couldn't helped but asked because Wooseok looked like he wanted to say something.

Wooseok hesitated but then he asked in a small voice without looking at him. "Have you met someone yet?"

Seungwoo only slightly managed to stamp down the urge to laugh hysterically at Wooseok's question.

_He's asking that now?_

The thought of lying to get back at Wooseok entered his mind but he immediately shook it off, what was the point? So he answered honestly, "No. I haven't met anyone yet."

Wooseok stared at him and something familiar yet unrecognizable crossed his eyes but it was gone so fast, Seungwoo thought he was just imagining it. "You need to go out and meet other people, Hyung. Two months is just a short time."

_So why does it feel like an eternity to me?_

* * *

_Day 11_

Seungwoo went to work in an autopilot. He read the reports from his staff, signed papers, attended the meeting (As he had expected, he and the old crone argued and even their argument sounded like a rehearsed play to Seungwoo's ears) and met clients. He had done so much work that at the end of the day, Seungwoo was so exhausted he didn't even have the time to think about his relationship problems. When it was 10 in the evening, he forced himself to go home, shower and slip into a fitful sleep.

* * *

_Day 12_

And the cycle repeated.

* * *

_Day 14_

Yohan was worried. Seungwoo could tell by the way he flitted inside and out of Seungwoo's office like a mother hen.

"Yohan-ah, do you need something?" Seungwoo finally asked after the fourth time Yohan entered the room just to arrange the flowers on the shelf at the corner of the office while stealing glances at him.

Yohan stopped pretending to be concerned at the flora and slowly walked towards Seungwoo's desk. "Sir, is our department in trouble?"

Seungwoo looked up from reading Hangyul's proposal and furrowed his eyebrows. "No, why do you asked?"

"Nothing, it’s just that... there's something different. With you, I mean. You're spending so much time in the office, I figured we're on the verge of bankruptcy and you're trying to do damage control."

Despite himself, Seungwoo chuckled at Yohan's theory and shook his head. "The company's fine, Yohan. No need to worry, there's just a lot of work to do. We need to pull in new clients this month or else the finance will have my head and that's when we'll be in trouble."

"Then if we're not on the verge of bankruptcy, you need to go home, Sir. It's seven already. Your boyfriend is probably waiting for you at home."

The smile on Seungwoo's face slipped.

_That's the thing, he was not._

Wooseok was not Seungwoo's boyfriend anymore and he was not waiting for him at home.

"Sir?"

Seungwoo looked up at Yohan's concerned face and smiled at his assistant. "It's nothing, Yohan-ah. I'll be going home shortly after I finished reading this. It's late, go ahead, I'll see you tomorrow."

Despite what he said at Yohan, Seungwoo didn't go out of the office until it was nine o'clock but it was an improvement from the previous days.

Having left his car at home, he would have to take the subway, he started heading towards it when his stomach growled reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything except that sandwich during lunch.

He changed his direction to the Italian restaurant a block away from his workplace, he was in the mood for some pasta.

He was about to enter the place when caught the sight of two people by the window and he promptly stopped on his tracks.

Because there, like in a middle of a spotlight, sat Wooseok. Smiling and conversing. With a man right across him. 

Seungwoo didn't know how long he stood rooted at the spot. It was a wonder Wooseok didn't notice him, he was staring outright at the two people (his mind refused to call them a couple) inside. Wooseok was laughing (like he had always done with Seungwoo), the stranger reached out and wiped the corner of Wooseok's mouth with his thumb (like Seungwoo did countless times).

Seungwoo thought he was already numb but the slicing pain in his chest said otherwise.

Someone bumped into him, dispelling him from his thoughts. Seungwoo unfroze and pivoted away from the spot without a single glance back.

* * *

Because Seungwoo's life is a fucking tragic drama, he did what most of today's melodramatic protagonist would have done in his situation:

He went into a club to get shitface.

All he needed was a sad love song playing in the background and it would have been a perfect picture of a heartbroken leading man drinking his sorrows away scenario. But alas, he was in a club so he would have to manage with electronic music as accompaniment while trying to drown in his own angst.

He didn't know how long he had been drinking, he just parked himself in one of the stools in the bar and started a tab. He gulped down shots after shots, the alcohol that the bartender kept supplying him must have come with its own octane rating but Seungwoo just grimaced and asked for one more each time.

There were a lot of perks on having a high tolerance for alcohol and most of the time, Seungwoo's grateful for it. But today was not one of those times. Today, he just wanted to get drunk, blacked out and forget.

Images of Wooseok laughing with someone he didn't know kept on cropping up his mind, like high-definition pictures. His mind was his worst enemy as it kept conjuring up scenarios of Wooseok leaving him to be with that stranger, that he wouldn't be back even after two months.

Wooseok would be gone forever and leave Seungwoo grasping for that empty space that used to be for him.

He thought he had already steeled himself for this kind of pain weeks ago but seeing it for real made him realize that nothing could prepare him for this.

Absently, he thought the movies had lied. There was nothing poetic about having your heart broken, nothing sadly beautiful, you wouldn't hope for a better tomorrow because you could hardly live pass today.

It was just pain in its rawest form.

He tossed back another shot.

Seungwoo was on his seventh shot (probably), the alcohol was starting to enter his system when he felt someone sat beside him and called the bartender's attention for a drink. He didn't raise his head, just hoped that whoever they were, they wouldn't hit on him and just leave him alone.

He didn't get what he was hoping for.

"Hi," the stranger beside him greeted. The voice slightly raised to be heard over the loud music.

What could a man do in order to be left in peace? He just wanted to wallow in his misery alone.

Seungwoo considered pretending not to hear the greeting. But despite his inebriation, he was raised to be polite by his parents.

"Hi," he greeted back without glancing at the stranger. He signalled the bartender for one more shot.

When the bartender was done pouring him drinks, Seungwoo reached for it but another hand snatched the glass before Seungwoo could take it.

"Hey!" Seungwoo protested his outrage.

Apparently, the stranger wasn't raised to be polite by his own parents. Seungwoo turned around to give the person beside him a piece of his mind.

The stranger turned out to be a guy, Seungwoo could barely make out the sharp fox-like features under the blue and red strobe lights, wearing a leather jacket over what could be a white shirt, there were two earrings attached on both of his ears and his black hair was styled messily, some of it falling above his eyes. Seungwoo would admit that he was good looking but he had also just finished Seungwoo's drink in one swallow so he was not winning any cookie points in Seungwoo's book.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seungwoo's speech slightly slurred, but he hoped he got his point across. Thankfully the music changed to a slightly restrained slow grinding song, he didn't have to shout to be heard.

After tossing back his drink, Mr. Fox-like returned his shot glass to him. Empty.

Seungwoo stared at the guy to the glass back to the guy again. He gaped at him.

"I was observing you since you came in, that was supposed to be your tenth shot," Mr. Fox-like answered. "The amount you've been drinking could've killed a small horse, I'm actually surprise you're still conscious."

Seungwoo continued staring at him, incredulous then he scoffed. "What I'm just getting from what you're saying is that you're a creep."

"Hey!" The stranger was clearly offended by what Seungwoo had said. "I'm not being a creep, I am just a concerned citizen."

Seungwoo shook his head in disbelief and turned his attention away from the guy, he signalled for another shot and the bartender immediately poured another one.

But like clockwork, the guy beside him snatched the glass again and gulped it down.

The stranger swore after finishing his drink. "Goddamn! What was in that drink? I felt like I was chugging gasoline."

Seungwoo had a feeling that he was already resembling a fish by the amount of time he was gaping at the guy. "Serves you right," he chided after the shock of getting his drink stolen again wore off. "You're paying for that, by the way."

The stranger nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Hell! That drink should come with its own brand of warning. Yibo, stop making weird drinks."

The bartender, who Seungwoo assumed to be Yibo, merely shrugged. "Another one, sir?" He asked Seungwoo, getting ready to pour in his glass.

Before Seungwoo could answer, Mr. Fox-like snatched the bottle out of Yibo's hand. "Stop that, are you trying to kill him? One more of this and he would seriously keel over."

"Why don't you mind your own business and leave me alone with my drinks?" Seungwoo bristled.

"I know you think you can take it right now but trust me, you'll be grateful when you'll wake up alive tomorrow. Contrary to popular beliefs, there _is_ such thing as alcohol poisoning."

Seungwoo scoffed. "I am not a lightweight."

The guy shrugged. "Sure, but the poison you've been drinking could knock down a horse much less you and your human body," He gave Seungwoo a once-over. "No matter how fit it is."

Seungwoo didn't know if it was the alcohol or the stranger’s obvious flirtations that sent majority of his blood to his face.

"Go away," he just said instead to cover up his embarrassment.

"Nope," the stranger responded.

When Seungwoo didn't bite back, the man gave out a big sigh. "Look whatever your problem is, do you wanna talk about it?"

Seungwoo looked at him incredulously. "Now we're having a counselling session?"

The man shrugged again. "Well, it seemed like you were trying to drown yourself with alcohol, I figured why not talk to me instead? I'm a much safer option."

"I'm not sure I believe you," Seungwoo snorted. "I don't even know you."

The guy grinned. "If that's your way of asking for my name, you have succeeded. I'm Seungyoun. What's your name?" He offered his hand.

"I am not interested."

"Well, _Mr. Not Interested,_ it's nice to meet you." His hand was still in front of Seungwoo.

Seungwoo look at the hand and to the still grinning face of Seungyoun. He sighed and took it. Seungyoun's grin grew wider.

"So," Seungyoun began again after Seungwoo turned back his attention to the bar and asked for water. He needed to detox. Irritating as he was, the guy was right, he would probably keel over if he asked for another shot.

Seungwoo drank the water Yibo gave him and he noticed that Seungyoun didn't continue whatever he was saying, he glanced at him in the corner of eyes and the guy was staring at him, particularly at his throat.

Seungwoo put down his glass. "What?"

Seungyoun blinked then cleared his throat. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you walked into mine."

If Seungwoo was still drinking, he would have spit all the water out after hearing what Seungyoun had said. Instead, Seungwoo stared at him, all bug-eyed. Seungyoun looked like he couldn't believe he'd just said that and Yibo the Bartender was outright coughing.

"I--I-- Okay, that came out at the wrong time." It was obvious that Seungyoun was panicking. "I was supposed to say that as an opening, but then you were all prickly and snobby, I just didn't get the chance to, and I just want--"

Seungwoo burst laughing so hard that he gripped the edge of the counter for support. He almost fell out of his seat as Seungyoun glared at him for his response, it just made Seungwoo howled more. It felt so good to laugh, it had been so long since he had laughed without care and it was because of a stranger in the club spouting stolen movie lines.

Seungyoun huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, I hope I entertained you."

Seungwoo was trying valiantly to stop laughing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's not that I'm laughing at you. Well, I am but not really, it's just, it has been a weird night, and a weird couple of weeks and I'm also slightly drunk."

"Glad to be of service, Mr. Not Interested."

Seungwoo was still trying to tone down his laughter and Seungyoun was still sulky when the music changed, it was another slow grinding song and Seunyoun perked up, apparently recognizing it. He grabbed Seungwoo's arms.

_Talk to me baby_

_I know it takes some time_

_For him to get off your mind_

"This is my favorite song, let’s dance," he commented then dragged Seungwoo off his chair, seemingly deaf to Seungwoo's protest that he was not in the mood to dance.

They ended up in the middle of the dance floor, squashed between other grinding couples, Seungyoun's hands were at his nape, carding through his hair while Seungwoo's at Seungyoun's hips, frozen.

_Cuz all he knows is your body_

_Go ask him “do you love me?”_

_I know his lines_

_Don’t work on the phone_

_And maybe we’ll take it slowly_

_Take your hands and draw me_

_Closer to_

_Your body, your soul_

There were almost the same height, Seungwoo observed as Seungyoun's nose brushed against his cheek and the slight touch sent goosebumps all over his skin.

_I like like you_

_Baby Baby come back_

_You’re something I’m missing_

_Oh Oh Oh_

"I made you laughed earlier," Seunyoun whispered at Seungwoo's ears. "Do I deserve to know your name now?"

Like he was under a spell, Seungwoo whispered back. "Seungwoo. Han Seungwoo."

_I need you maybe_

_This is why we talk at night_

_No good morning it ain’t right_

Seungyoun leaned back and the chesire-cat grin appeared on his face again. "You're frozen like a statue," lips were ghosting across Seungwoo's cheeks until they reached his ear and Seungyoun whispered, "Dance with me, Han Seungwoo."

Then he caught Seungwoo's earlobe between his lips and applied a slight pressure.

_You’ve been calling him lately_

_About 2345 times_

_That’s enough girl please be mine_

And that was all it took for Seungwoo to lose himself. He tightened his grip on his hips and followed the sway of Seungyoun's body along the music.

_Does he know I’m into you_

_Does he know I’m into you_

_Does he know I’m into you, oh baby_

_Oh oh oh oh_

_Cuz all he knows is your body_

_Go ask him “do you love me?”_

_I know his lines_

_Don’t work on the phone_

_And maybe we’ll take it slowly (slowly)_

_Take your hands and draw me (draw me)_

_Closer to_

_Your body, your soul (your soul)_

Seungyoun brushed his nose against Seungwoo's jaw, lips flitting across Seungwoo's face and neck, tongue and lips touching his skin but not leaving a mark. Seungwoo’s hands went inside Seungyoun’s shirt and caressed the hard abdomen under it while grinding his lower half against the other man’s. They didn’t kiss but it was sex with clothes on.

_I like like you_

_Baby Baby come back_

_You’re something I’m missing_

_Oh Oh Oh_

He didn't know how long they spent almost glued to each other, he didn't care. The music changed several times already, from a slow sexy song to electronic to something lively and fast but they remained slow dancing, grinding into each other Seungwoo felt like combusting.

Seungwoo knew that this was just something temporary, something he didn't need (but by god, he wanted it), tomorrow he'd wake up and would probably regret everything, but tonight, he decided to forget, decided to immerse himself in this moment, leave behind all the hurt and pain and delude himself that this was enough, that this fox-like stranger in his arms was enough.

Seungyoun grabbed his face, jarring him back to reality. They stared at each other for a few seconds, he looked into Seungyoun's eyes, challenging him, coaxing him to do whatever he was thinking.

"Are you drunk?" Seungyoun asked him, struggling to be heard over the music.

"Not enough that I don't know what I'm doing," Seungwoo answered.

The signs were all there but Seungwoo was still surprised when Seungyoun reached out and kissed him hungrily. Instinctively, he closed his eyes kissed back with the same abandon, then it was all explosion, fire lit up his blood as Seungyoun nipped him with his teeth. Seungwoo retaliated, he bit Seungyoun's lips and he could taste the metallic tang of blood. His tongue swiped Seungyoun's lips in apology who didn't even seem to mind.

He didn't know how long they stood there just kissing, and wouldn't have cared until someone bumped into Seungyoun accidentally and they separated. They were trying to catch their breath, eyes not leaving each other. Seungwoo traced Seungyoun's bottom lip with his thumb, the cut from Seungwoo's teeth was barely visible.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Seungyoun asked.

Tomorrow he would regret this and beat himself up over it but tonight he decided to forget, tonight he would convince himself that this was right, that this was enough.

And with pain, desire and alcohol clouding his judgement, he answered, "Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's how you make a fcking entrance by Cho Seungyoun. And no, I don't recommend for you to do that.
> 
> and reading this chapter, you would probably have an idea on how boring my job is. lol.
> 
> P.S. the song Seungwoo and Seungyoun was dancing to is Like Like You by Ace Banzuelo. That's currently my favorite song, please give it a listen~!


	6. Panacea to the pain

_Day 15_

00:52 AM

The moment Seungyoun opened the door to his flat, Seungwoo's back was immediately slammed against it so hard, the door rattled. He let out a guttural groan when Seungyoun's lips latched onto the area where the shoulder meets the neck, and worked his way up to Seungwoo's jaw, sucking and leaving bruising red marks on his wake, lips not leaving Seungwoo's skin even while taking off his leather jacket and throwing it somewhere in the apartment, uncaring where it landed.

They left the club in a rush earlier, Seungyoun slamming enough cash even for Seungwoo's tab on the bar counter where Yibo the Bartender stood, serving another customer their drink.

The 15-minute taxi ride from the club to Seungyoun's flat was filled with so much tension, it was almost a miracle that both of them still have all their clothes on when they arrived.

Seungyoun's hand tugged his sleeves, signalling the man to take his suit off; Seungwoo took the hint and shrugged off his jacket, the material pulling around their feet after.

Seungyoun pulled Seungwoo's collar, guiding them backwards to the direction of the couch, eyes sultry and seductive. They tumbled on the coach not-so-gently, Seungyoun on his back with Seungwoo over him, both his arms caging Seungyoun. The look on his eyes was animalistic, not unlike a predator cornering his prey, eyes wild and irises almost black with desire, anger and something else.

Seungyoun grinned before latching his hands around Seungwoo's neck and pulled Seungwoo against him, attaching his lips to the man's, readily welcoming Seungwoo’s wandering tongue. The kisses they shared were wet and sloppy. Seungwoo grinded his hard erection against him and the other man let out a lust-filled moan.

“Oh God, oh fuck, I—”

Seungwoo started to nip the man’s exposed collarbone, his jaw, down his neck, leaving his trail everywhere. Seunyoun’s skin was soft and warm under his mouth and when he licked Seungyoun’s pulse on his neck, he felt him shiver.

Seungyoun pulled Seungwoo up for another heady kiss, groping him and pulling him in so they are pressed more forcefully. Seungwoo’s fingers were carding through Seungyoun's hair before he grasped them between his fingers and this time, he kissed back angrily, putting all his pain, frustrations and anger into the kiss, it was all explosions and forest fire— hot and unforgiving. It almost felt like a punishment.

For whom? Seungwoo didn't know. It could be for Seungyoun, for disrupting his night when all he wanted was to drown his pain, for Wooseok for being with another man or it could be a punishment for Seungwoo himself, for kissing someone who wasn't Wooseok.

And it could also be that he was damning the three of them.

He shook his head and closed his eyes, dispersing the image of Wooseok that suddenly came into mind. It was not the time, he was supposed to forget, even just for a moment, he was supposed to lose himself in the kisses of this stranger. Seungwoo's hands drifted back to Seungyoun's hips, unbuckling the belt and unzipping the fly, when Seungwoo was about to pull them down Seungyoun's hand caught his.

"Stop."

Seungwoo raised his head from Seungyoun's to look at Seungyoun, frown marring his forehead. What was Seungyoun trying to do?

The other man took his hand off his shirt gently. "You know, I'm sometimes into hate sex but I don't want it if it’s not because of me."

Seungwoo was even more bewildered. "What do you even mean?"

Seungyoun let out a huge sigh before cupping Seungwoo's left cheek. "What I'm trying to say is, Han Seungwoo-ssi, you're crying." His thumb slowly tracing the supposed tear streaks until it reached the corner of his eyes.

Only when a tear fell on Seungyoun's face that Seungwoo realized that he was indeed crying. He immediately got off Seungyoun and sat at the end of the coach, wiping the liquid on his face.

Seungwoo almost sobered up when it dawned on him what he was about to do. He was going sleep with this stranger just because he saw Wooseok with someone else and couldn't handle the pain, he was going to betray the only person he loved just for a few hours of oblivion and relief.

Fck. How pathetic could he be?

A glass of water appeared in front of him. He looked up and Seungyoun shook the glass slightly, indicating for Seungwoo to take it. He gratefully took and gulped it down. He didn't even noticed that Seungyoun had gotten up the couch and turned the lights on to get water.

Seungyoun laid down sideways on the couch, hand propping up his head, observing him for awhile; if he wasn't so out of it he would've squirmed.

Seungwoo broke the silence. "I'm sorry," _for using you to forget my ex-boyfriend, for trying to sleep with you, for crying on you. _

Seungyoun made a noise on the back of his throat before answering. "No need for that. Wanna talk about it?"

Seungwoo buried his face on his hands. "No."

Seungyoun shrugged. "You know, I actually first thought that I was such a bad lay that I made you cry but seeing that we didn't even get pass second base, I would be disinclined to believe that, " Seungwoo whipped his head towards him in horror, Seungyoun grinned. "And also because I've never been a bad lay, previous experiences could attest to that, 5 stars review every time."

Seungwoo wanted to bury his head on his hands again. "Oh my god, your mouth," he said exasperated.

Seungyoun's grin was downright filthy. "_That's _what they always say."

Seungwoo groaned. He had walked into that one.

"Look, I know you've got some issues going on, it was so obvious with the way you were trying to burn your liver with that gasoline you've been chugging back in the club and from my experience, you will not feel better unless you talk about it. So, spill."

Instead of pouring his heart out, Seungwoo glared at him. "You've been trying to make me talk since the club, did you approach me because you wanted to be my psychologist?"

"Nah, I approached you because I find you hot and was hoping I could sleep with you," he answered so nonchalantly that it left Seungwoo flabbergasted.

This man was so unapologetically honest he had rendered Seungwoo speechless. 

Silence enveloped the room for awhile. Seungyoun for once having nothing to say, Seungwoo would have believed that nothing could embarrass the man to silence if not for the burning red tips on his ears.

"I saw my kinda ex-boyfriend with someone else," he began.

"Oh, so it was a relationship issue," Seungyoun commented. "I actually figured that out earlier when you were looking at me, I thought you were seeing someone else."

Seungwoo didn't know if he wanted to run or at curse Seungyoun. Why do people always quote The Notebook on him?

Before he could do either, Seungyoun asked. "Did you break up recently?"

"Maybe two weeks ago."

"Ouch, and how long have you been together?"

"Eight years."

Seungyoun's eyes widened. "Eight years and he's already with someone else two weeks after the break up? Did he cheat on you?"

"No, he did not," Seungwoo glared at Seungyoun, defensive over the perceived slight against Wooseok.

Seungyoun raised both hands. "Alright, alright, no need to bite my head off,” and then added. “Anything else you need to talk about?”

Seungwoo shook his head and stood up instead. He needed to go home.

Alarmed, Seungyoun caught his hands. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Home. It's late."

"In the state you're in? Yeah right. You're gonna end up either mugged or slipping in the sidewalk, breaking your skull. Stay the night."

Seungwoo looked at him incredulously. "I am not sleeping with you."

The other man stared at him, deadpanned and let go of his hand. "Wow, you're just being a good Samaritan and then people accused you of wanting to sleep with them."

Seungwoo reddened. Seungyoun had been nothing but understanding since earlier and here he was, spouting unsightly accusations and being the worst version of himself. Break-ups with Wooseok was not good for him and his manners. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, I'm in a really bad place right now and I know that's not an excuse but forgive me."

Seungyoun contemplated while Seungwoo hanged his head down. "Apology accepted."

Seungwoo sighed, relieved. "Thanks for having me anyway, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused but I have to go."

"I'm serious, stay the night. It’s morning already, taxi rates will surely double and I don't exactly trust you to walk a straight line, you are an accident waiting to happen and I don't want to feel guilty when I read the morning papers and find your obituary."

Seungwoo considered Seungyoun's suggestion.

"I'll even sleep on the couch, you take my bed." Seungyoun offered.

Seungwoo shook his head. "Nah, I'll take the couch," he sat back down and Seungyoun smiled.

"I'll get extra pillow and sheets," he turned around presumely to do that. After almost a minute, he returned with the promised pillow and sheets. Before he left again, Seungwoo caught his shirt, and he glanced back.

"Thank you, Seungyoun-ssi," Seungwoo said.

Seungyoun smiled again. "You're welcome, Han Seungwoo-ssi. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." And the lights turned off.

* * *

Seungwoo woke up with a splitting headache and a feeling that a half-decomposed rodent was lining in the roof of his mouth.

No matter how high his alcohol tolerance was, it did not save him from hangovers come morning. He was never drinking again.

After unsuccessfully willing his headache down with a prayer to some god and a half to satan, he pulled down the sheets covering his face and tried to open his eyes, hovering between awake and comatose. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him. He was suddenly much more awake.

Where was he?

Then flashes of last night's event came rushing in, almost drinking to his death in the club, meeting Seungyoun, dancing with him, kissing him... Seungwoo wanted to hide under the sheets and never come out. He was never drinking again, he vowed, this time, actually having the will to follow through his promise.

He tiptoed his way towards what he remembered was the kitchen, taking the glass Seungyoun gave him last night. On his way back after drinking water and washing the glass, he noticed the bedroom door slightly ajar and took a peek inside, a body was still sprawled on it.

Good. Seungyoun was still asleep.

He quietly but hurriedly wore his shoes and gathered all of his things that he placed on the center table last night-- his watch, phone and wallet, his jacket crumpled by the doorway.

Before he left, he decided to write a short 'Thank you for last night.' note on one of the papers he'd seen lying around.

Still trying to be as quiet as a mouse, he went out of the apartment, sighed and did his walk of shame.

* * *

Seungwoo arrived at home, still having a headache, he really needed Wooseok's magical hang-over brew but he doubted that his ex-boyfriend was still at their home, seeing that it was almost 10 in the morning.

He's gonna have to call in sick again. Yohan will kill him this time.

Closing the door, he heard shouting. To his surprise, Wooseok was still there.

"-- don't know where he is, I called his office and Yohan said he hasn't arrive yet and goddamnit, I am calm!" Seungwoo could only stand by the hallway as Wooseok paced in their living room. "I can't reach his phone, Jinhyuk! It never happened before, he always went home, no matter how-- Seungwoo!" Wooseok's eyes almost bugged out when he finally noticed Seungwoo standing in the hallway.

"Hi?" He greeted hesitantly.

Wooseok unceremoniously ended his phone call and charged towards Seungwoo, worry and relief washing over his face and hugged him so hard he almost knocked the breath out of Seungwoo. "Are you alright? Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you since last night." He let him go and cupped Seungwoo's face, turning it sideways to check him over.

Seungwoo wanted to freeze this moment, Wooseok was back where he belonged, in Seungwoo's space, fussing over him like he had always done before. He honestly wanted to stay forever like this despite the splitting headache he felt.

But then he remembered the reason why he drank so much last night and Seungwoo's make-believe world shattered.

Seungwoo caught Wooseok's hands right before they touch his arms, most likely for Wooseok's quest to make sure he was indeed injury free.

"I'm fine, Wooseok," he assured the younger with a tight smile. "My phone died last night that was why you couldn't reach me." He walked passed him and went towards his temporary bedroom.

Wooseok couldn't seem to take a hint that Seungwoo wanted to be left alone, he still insisted on following him. "Where have you been anyway? Why weren't you home last night?"

Seungwoo gritted his teeth, for the first time in awhile, he felt irritated with Wooseok, it mostly like due to his headache that made his fuse short. "Drinking."

"What?! Why?"

He cannot deal with this.

"Wooseok, I have a splitting headache right now and I would really appreciate if you'll leave me alone," he said curtly. "And frankly, its none of your business where I've been, we broke up."

The last sentence was said quietly but it was not less cruel. Wooseok stopped dead on his tracks. Shock and hurt replaced the worry and confusion on his face.

"Sorry, I was just worried," Wooseok whispered.

Instantly, Seungwoo felt guilty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I don't know why I said that. You don't deserve that, you were just worried. I'm sorry, babe." He almost went to hug Wooseok to comfort him but he managed to stop himself, the endearment still slipped out though.

Wooseok looked at Seungwoo with a small smile. "It's fine."

Seungwoo shook his head. "It's not and you know that. I'm sorry for losing my temper and for worrying you."

"Really, its fine." Wooseok injected so much cheer in his voice to placate Seungwoo. "I understand, take a shower while I'm making the hangover brew then sleep."

"You're not going to work?" he asked.

Wooseok bit his lip. "I called in the gallery earlier and asked for a time off," he hesistated before adding, "I thought I would be looking for you all day."

Another pang of guilt hit him. He made Wooseok missed work. "I'm really sorry, Wooseok-ah. I'll call next time."

"Make sure you do," he then pushed Seungwoo gently towards his room. "Now go shower, you reek of alcohol and something else. I'll bring you the hangover brew before you sleep."

True to his words, Wooseok was waiting inside the bedroom with the hangover brew after Seungwoo got out of the bathroom already wearing his sleep shirt and pajamas.

Seungwoo took the cup from Wooseok's hand gratefully. In reflex, smelled it (he never learned) and promptly his stomach wanted to turn over.

Wooseok first made the hangover brew when he was a college freshman for Seungwoo's first hangover, many years later, it still smelled just as horrible and hopefully as effective.

He drank the magical repugnant brew in one shot, not daring to breathe in between.

When Seungwoo was done, he gave the cup back to Wooseok.

"God, that concoction is still as disgusting as I've remembered," He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he could see Wooseok smirking at him, probably thinking he deserved it. "What have you been putting in there?"

"The bitter tears of widows and war orphans, what else?"

Seungwoo let out a chuckle. "Well, those tragic ingredients will surely wipe me out in minutes so I'll prepare for bed," he smiled at Wooseok. "Thank you, Wooseok-ah. And again, I'm sorry for losing my temper and making you miss work."

Wooseok waved his hands. "I've been telling you, its fine, don't worry about it. I'm actually happy that I will have more time to work on my painting."

Seungwoo's eyes widen in pleasant surprise. "You're starting to paint again?" Wooseok was, _is_, an artist, he even took fine arts back in college. It saddened Seungwoo when Wooseok stopped painting more than a year ago and contented himself to be a curator in the gallery he was working at.

"I mean, I'm not really back, but I started picking up the brush again." Geniunely joy shone in his eyes. "I think I'm--" Wooseok suddenly stopped talking, his smile dropped and a frozen expression replaced it as he continued staring at Seungwoo.

"Wooseok?" He inquired. "Is there something on my face?"

Wooseok looked at him, startled. "Huh? No. Where was I again?"

Seungwoo frowned. "You were saying you are starting to paint again."

Wooseok nodded but Seungwoo could see that he was still distracted by something. "Yes, yes. Its just a start but I hope I won't lose my motivation this time."

Seungwoo smiled fondly. "Yeah, I hope so too."

"Anyway, Hyung. I better leave you alone to rest," Wooseok turned his back and started heading towards the door. When he grabbed the doorknob and stopped.

"Hyung, have you--"

"Hm?" Seungwoo asked as he was getting ready for bed.

"Nevermind. Have a good rest, Hyung."

"Okay, Wooseok-ah. Thank you." Wooseok left then gently closed the door.

Just as expected, Seungwoo slept soundly. He dreamt of fox-like faces and kisses that burn, but when he woke up hours later he had forgotten all about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did Wooseok see? HAHA. Probably 80% of y'all could guess.
> 
> Anyways, one of these days, I'm gonna proof read this again. Not really 100% satisfied with this chapter but I'm impatient to have it out.   
Hope you enjoy this chapter. Advanced Happy Christmas to those who are celebrating!!


	7. Maybe it's Fate

_Day 16_

Seungwoo knew he should have just stayed at home instead of taking a spontaneous walk and deciding to buy groceries. Home was where he could be alone (like a loser) drowning in his own misery, watching sad movies while eating cold pizza, silently bemoaning the train-wreck he called his love life (or lack thereof).

Home was where he could stew in his guilt of almost cheating on Wooseok with a stranger he met on a club.

But even with the suffocating air of loneliness and the stink of misery enveloping the place, Seungwoo would have preferred that than his current situation of being behind a rack of can goods of some random grocery store, hiding from the previously mentioned stranger, hoping against hope that Seungyoun hadn't seen him.

Luckily, Seungyoun hadn't spotted him yet, the man's attention fully trained on small toddler whom he was entertaining with funny faces and wild gestures. The little girl giggled in response and after asking permission from her mother, gave Seungyoun the candies she had been hoarding.

If Seungwoo was in the mood to find the humour of his situation, he'd think it was a little funny how he went from being completely ignorant of Seungyoun's existence to running into him the very next day after he ran out of the man's house like a coward.

He didn't think he would see Seungyoun at all after that night. He intended to forget everything that happened but God deemed that the humiliation (he cried in front of the man!) and the guilt that followed weren't punishment enough.

Last night he woke up from his comatose-like sleep without the drilling pain in his head, feeling refreshed and invigorated, that was before the weight of what he had done the night before hit him.

He almost slept with someone who wasn't Wooseok and the evidence stared right back at him when he looked into the mirror minutes later and found the marks Seungyoun left scattered all-over his neck. He truly hoped Wooseok hadn't noticed and tried to hide the bruises by wearing a turtleneck but that proved to be unnecessary when he went out of his room and Wooseok wasn't even present.

Anyway, he wasn't anywhere near ready to meet Seungyoun again so he moved deeper into the store, putting as much distance between them as possible. He kept walking and turning around corners, feeling quite ridiculous, but all in effort to avoid the man.

"Of all the grocery stores in all the towns in all the world, you walked into mine."

Seungwoo almost jump out of his skin. He spun around and came face to face with Seungyoun and his cheshire cat grin.

"How...what..." It seemed to be a common occurrence for Seungwoo to be speechless in front of this man.

"Finally got to use that line on you in a right timing," Seungyoun continued as if Seungwoo wasn't gaping like a fish at him. "Well, I have to improvise but you got the gist."

"How did you get here? You were just there!" Seungwoo exclaimed, pointing towards the direction where Seungyoun was standing before.

"So you saw me and you didn't even bother to say hi? I am so hurt," he clutched his chest, acting wounded. "I thought we had something special, Han Seungwoo-ssi. Didn't we get closer the other night?"

Seungwoo wanted to strangle him but he didn't want to be implicated with the murder of this infuriating man so opted to shut him up with his hand.

"Stop that. We are in public," he hissed at Seungyoun then he felt something wet came in contact with his hand and he promptly let go.

His eyes widen. Seungyoun licked his hand. The man had no shame, whatsoever.

"What? It[s the truth. You even cried on me among other things, we were definitely closer," Seungyoun wiggled his eyebrows.

Seungwoo closed his eyes and counted up to 20 in order to calm down. The man in front of him definitely had the talent of riling him.

"By the way," the infuriating man quipped when Seungwoo was on number 14. "You left something."

Seungwoo glowered at him. "If you say something ridiculous like 'my heart' I'm going to--" his words were cut off when Seungyoun bursted out laughing.

"Oh, God--" his hands clutched his abdomen and to Seungwoo's growing embarrassment, Seungyoun proceeded to kneel on the floor. "Holy crap, I can't--" and when the man rolled on the floor and grasped the bottom of his pants, still laughing, Seungwoo wanted to die on the spot.

"Get up!" Seungwoo hissed but Seungyoun just laughed louder. "Seungyoun-ssi, you're an embarrassment, get up from the floor, everybody's staring!"

Seungwoo didn't lie. Everyone was looking at them like they were a circus freak show.

Thankfully, Seungyoun finally got up but he was still sitting crossed legs on the grocery floor, trying to get his laughter under control.

"Oh God, Seungwoo-ssi. Th-that was so funny, your sense of humor is amazing," he wiped his tears that came out when he was laughing.

"'My heart'," Seungyoun laughed again, eyes disappearing. "Where are you getting this from? Sappy romantic movies?" Seungwoo felt the blood rushed up to his face.

"I know I look like a movie star material but even I would turn to puddle on the spot if I'd say those words," Seungyoun continued. Seungwoo refused to look at the man by his feet, he would have ran away if not for the hand still clutching his pants tightly.

Seunyoun started to get up. "As romantic as 'my heart' does sound," Seungwoo wanted to cover his face, really, it was humiliation after another humiliation with this guy since their ill-fated meeting at the club. "It was not what you left. It was your briefcase."

Seungwoo temporarily forgot his embarrassment to frown in confusion. "My briefcase?"

"Yep. You left it at the club. Yibo dropped it off at my flat yesterday."

"Yibo?" He tried to remember why the name sounded familiar. "Oh! The bartender. You're friends?"

"Seungwoo-ssi, my greatest mistake in kindergarten was asking that guy if he wanted to fingerpaint and he figured it was a permission to latch onto me like a leech since which led to him knocking on my door at ungodly hours dropping briefcases on my feet."

He winced and twisted his foot. "God, I could still feel the pain, what are you carrying in that briefcase of yours? Rocks? Metals?"

Instead of answering, Seungwoo stared at Seungyoun in shock. Seungyoun's ability to talk out of tangent with just a single question amazed him.

"Anyway, I didn't know I would ran into you in a grocery store, so I didn't bring it with me. It's still at my home, wanna come over and get it?" Seungyoun asked nonchalantly.

Seungwoo hesitated. He needed his briefcase, but coming over at Seungyoun's to get it...

He was mulling about the pros and cons when Seungyoun interrupted.

"What? Scared you're gonna get tempted by me again?"

Seungwoo scowled. "You wish," he gestured towards the direction of the exit. "Lead the way, Seungyoun-ssi."

* * *

It had been a short walk from the grocery store to Seungyoun's flat. Seungwoo wondered how he'd reached Seungyoun's neighborhood while just walking. He must've been lost in his thoughts.

When Seungyoun keyed in his passcode and invited him in, Seungwoo only hesitated a bit before he stepped in. The flat, he observed, was spacious with a minimalist white and black interior, something he failed to take in during the first time he was there. White curtains framed the windows that offered the magnificent view of han river, the couch was also facing a 64-inch flat screen tv, shelves on its both sides were decked with various cds and there were two paintings (that looked like they cost more than Seungwoo's annual salary. Each.) hanging at the living room walls.

At the corner of the room were several state-of-the-art musical instruments, a piano, an acoustic guitar and what Seungwoo assumed to be a french horn.

With the amount of wealth displayed, Seungwoo concluded that his almost one-night stand was either a mafia boss with a music hobby or a very successful singer-songwriter. There was no in between.

Seungwoo never heard of a singer whose name was Seungyoun and come to think of it, Seungyoun had never given him his last name.

Fuck.

What had he gotten himself into?

Seungyoun's voice interrupted the mind gymnastics his brain was performing. "Your briefcase is in my room, let me get it first. Make yourself comfortable," and he gestured towards his couch to which Seungwoo gingerly sat down on.

His sight wandered to the keyboard again and he stood up and walked towards it. When he stopped playing football due to a knee injury, he turned to music.

A slight pang hit him as memories rushed in. He stopped doing that too.

His hand hovered above the white and black keys, hesitating, it's been years since he played. His complete and incomplete songs during university were all collecting dust at the bottom of the closet and Seungwoo didn't know if he could still do it, if he could remember any of it.

The first press of his fingertips on the keys felt like coming home and it was all muscle memory from there. Familiar melody filled the room, hearing it was like meeting an old friend he hadn't seen for a long, long time.

It was the fourth song he made, he remembered penning the lyrics one cold November night, he also remembered not finishing it. His fingers faltered for a second, forgetting what supposed to come next, then he hummed the melody and was back on track, fingers once again dancing on the piano tiles.

He continued playing for awhile until he felt the heavy weight of a stare on him and when he turned his head, sure enough, Seungyoun was leaning against his bedroom doorway, briefcase in hand, observing him.

Seungwoo abruptly took his hands back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-- I mean..."

Seungyoun simply smiled and came closer. "It's fine. You play?"

Seungwoo avoided his gaze. "Not anymore. It was only during university. I wasn't really good at it."

"Somehow I don't believe that," Seungyoun grinned and placed the briefcase on the table situated nearby then to Seungwoo's amazement, the other male started playing his song.

After playing for awhile, he stopped. "That was all I remembered," he said bashfully. "I never really heard that before, was that yours? That was amazing." 

Seungwoo on the other hand looked at him in amazement. "You just played a song you heard for the first time?!"

A hint of blush crossed Seungyoun's face. "I have a good ear." He tried to shrug nonchalantly but Seungwoo could see that he was a bit proud of himself. "Anyway, did you make it?"

"Once upon a time," Seungwoo answered and because he couldn't help himself, he played a few bars of another song, immersing himself into the music from long ago.

A sad tune flowed into the air, this one he would always remember, it was the first song he made, his first child. The beats slow and the chords simple, he didn't even have a MIDI keyboard back then, just an acoustic guitar. it wasn't even his best, but it was something he held close to his heart.

When he stopped playing, Seungwoo could feel Seungyoun's gaze pierced right through him then out of nowhere he grabbed Seungwoo's forearm and proceeded to drag him across the hall.

"What--"

"Just come, I wanna show you something." He opened the door beside his bedroom.

Behind it revealed a spacious studio of university-Seungwoo's wet dreams. Fancy music equipment were at placed, he could see a top-of-the-line brand of MIDI Keyboard, several microphones, monitors, a MIDI interface, speakers as well as a baby piano, electric guitar and a beatbox.

Seungwoo's mouth was left hanging open in admiration while Seungyoun rushed towards his equipment and fiddled them, few seconds later, a slow song was played.

"Seungyoun-ssi--"

"Please listen," Seungyoun interrupted and Seungwoo snapped his mouth shut and did what he was told. After a few beats, a different tune was played, this time, the beat was much faster, and Seungwoo ears could pick up sounds coming from a horn and drums, and a bit of violin being overlaid by some digital sounds.

And then Seungyoun played another one and another one, it was only after the eighth track that Seungyoun stopped and turned around to face Seungwoo.

"So what do you think?" Seungyoun asked.

"Think about what? Your music? I'm not really the right one to judge. I hardly know anything about music production."

Seungyoun frowned then he pouted. "That's a lie, you made those songs before and those weren't mediocre."

Seungwoo merely shrugged, he picked up the electric guitar, and plucked some of its strings. "Honest, I was amateur at best, my equipment were shitty back then, it more of a hobby than anything else."

Seungyoun was silent for a while. "But you loved doing it."

Seunwoo stopped plucking the strings and straightened up. "I did," he admitted. "Until I figured, if I kept pursuing it half-heartedly I was just wasting my time so I stopped."

"Why did you do it then?"

"Did what?" Seungwoo asked in confusion. "Music?"

"No," Seungyoun shook his head. "Pursued it half-heartedly."

Seungwoo froze. Nobody really asked him that before.

"From our few encounters," Seungyoun continued. "I pegged you as an all or nothing type of a guy. I'm surprised that you said you half-assed doing your music, when I can see that you loved it."

The way Seungyoun said it was more on 'as a matter of fact', not a tinge of judgement in his voice but it still hit Seungwoo differently.

He sighed. "You're kind of nosy, aren't you?"

For the first time that day, Seungyoun was flustered. "Uh.. I didn't mean to-- you don't have to answer it," he ran his fingers through his hair. "You're right, I was just being nosy," then he giggled awkwardly.

Seungwoo couldn't help but snort. "After all those things you did and said, I'm kinda surprise that being called out for your nosiness made you feel embarrass,"

"Hey!" Seungyoun lightly protested. "I'm serious, you don't have to answer it. Yibo always said I lack a mouth filter."

"Nah, it's fine, the reason wasn't really that serious," Seungwoo answered. "I was a football player before, but during my first year in playing in university, I got injured so I had to stop then I turned to music to either pass time or drown my regrets I hadn't really figured it."

Seungwoo stood up and inspected Seungyoun's other equipment. "Along the way, I really loved it, writing songs and fiddling my second hand music equipment, I enjoyed performing in school festivals or at some random coffee shops with cover songs and sometimes my own EP."

He took a deep breath and shrugged. "But that's just it, I liked it, I enjoyed doing it but at the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't my dream. I never really wanted it as my career, it was a future I could never imagined so that's probably why I wasn't really serious about it and then I decided to stop."

Seungyoun looked at him pensively then a moment later he spoke, "Okay."

"Okay?" Seungwoo parroted in confusion.

"Okay," Seungyoun responded. "I mean, I understand where you're coming from. Clearly, music wasn't something you pictured yourself doing and that's fine. Everybody has their own thing."

When Seungwoo continued to stare a Seungyoun. "What?" Seungyoun chuckled. "You thought I would go on and lecture you that you made a mistake, that you were talented and you wasted your potential?"

Seungyoun was slightly spot on. "Well..."

Seungyoun faced his monitors and fiddle with the keyboard. "I can hardly lecture you about it, I haven't even figured out what the hell am I doing, who am I to tell you what to do."

"What do you do, anyway?" Seungwoo couldn't helped but asked.

"Now you're curious?" There's a slight teasing in Seungyoun's voice.

"Forget I asked," Seungwoo retorted. Who cares if Seungyoun was a music producer or a drug lord with a side hobby.

"Nah, I think this is the first time you asked me something about myself," Seungyoun turned around to face Seungwoo with a smile. "I am a most-of-the-time-absentee employee at my mother's company, an underground rapper, a music producer and a songwriter."

"An absentee employee?"

"That's all you caught?" Seungyoun asked, exasperated. "I did say I am an underground rapper. Don't you think that was more interesting?"

"Well, it is. But I'm mostly concerned about the paycheck you might still be receiving without working for it."

Seungyoun stared at him dumbfounded, he shook his head in disappointment. "You boring suit-wearing office man. Capitalism has ruined you."

"Hey!" Seungwoo felt offended. He wasn't that boring... Was he?

"Anyway, even if you weren't into music now and being confined in a four-wall office washed out all the fun in you, do you still want to listen to some of my work? I kinda need a second opinion," Seungyoun looked at him behind his bangs, eyes borderline pleading.

Seungwoo didn't know what he was thinking, he hardly knew Seungyoun but he found himself nodding, dragging a chair besides Seungyoun's.

He could hear Seungyoun whisper, "And you say that music was something you didn't want to do."

Seungwoo elbowed him by his side and Seungyoun let out a grunt. "I did say that but I didn't say I don't miss it."

Seungyoun grinned. "I'll make you enjoy it again," and that felt like a promise.

And that was Seungwoo spent the rest of his day, listening to Seungyoun's tracks, giving honest feedbacks and suggestions. Their interaction didn't stop there. He had also found himself conversing inane things with Seungyoun such as the food they like to eat, work, anime and even the weather while munching on delivered fast foods.

They also had a slight argument about the best football player (he also found out that Seungyoun also played football when he was younger). In Seungwoo's opinion, Seungyoun had hit his head too many times.

The audacity to say Ronaldo was the best, he scoffed.

To Seungwoo's surprise, he found himself enjoying Seungyoun's company even with the other man's occasional flirtations, and despite the polar opposite personalities, they had a lot of similar interest.

It was even more surprising that when Seungwoo looked at his watch, he discovered that it was already past 10 in the evening.

"Seungyoun-ah, I'm sorry but I have to go home. It's kinda late."

_Wooseok must be worried by now._

Seungwoo stilled. Fuck. Wooseok. He forgot about Wooseok. He hurriedly took out his phone out of his sweatpants.

There were a few text messages, two from Yohan sending updates about their work, one from Byungchan asking him if he already ate dinner, another one was a picture from his little cousin Eunsang on his vacation and a message from Wooseok:

_Are you coming home tonight?_

He hastily typed _yes, coming home now_ in response and pocketed his phone.

"Hyung," Seungyoun called out, unaware of the slight panic that took over Seungwoo awhile ago (earlier, they also found out that Seungyoun was almost two years younger than him). "I kinda have a show on Tuesday at Hongdae. It's at 9PM, would you like to come?"

Seungwoo mentally went over his schedule. "I'll try Seungyoun-ah," he responded while he gathering his things, his briefcase most especially. "I don't have anything going on during then so I'll probably be there."

"For real?" Seungyoun's eyes were sparkling, if he had a tail, it would probably be wagging. "I'll text you the exact address. I'll be expecting you."

He bid Seungyoun goodbye, when the door closed, Seungwoo raced to the subway.

* * *

It was nearly 11 when he reached home and found Wooseok at the living room, reading.

"Hyung, you're home," something like relief was mixed in his voice.

"Yeah, why are you still up?"

"I was... reading," Wooseok responded then he smiled at Seungwoo before asking. "Did you have dinner yet?"

Seungwoo nodded. "I ate a while ago."

Then an awkward silence followed. Seungwoo didn't know what to say, should he asked if Wooseok had ate his dinner too? They have never been this awkward.

He cleared his throat. "I'll turn in, Wooseok-ah. Goodnight." and walked towards the door.

Before he entered his room Wooseok called out. "Hyung, are you seeing someone?"

Hand on the doorknob, Seungwoo froze.

"No, I'm not," he answered and closed the door behind him.

He wasn't lying. But somehow, Seungwoo felt like he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for people who still haven't found their dreams and for those who thought they did and turned out wrong, it's okay to get lost, make a few wrong turns, take your time.
> 
> Annnnnd how are you all? Sorry for not updating for a long time, kinda lost my drive for awhile but hopefully we'll be back on track. Let's all hope that we will see some sunshine in the future. Fighting, oneits! Let's all wait for our boys.


	8. Hotpots and Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in a weekend? Well, let's all thank the crumbs we got from X1 tonight.

_Day 18_

_"Wanna go and grab some lunch, Hyung?"_

A playful voice greeted as soon as Seungwoo answered his phone. It was a respite from the Monday rush that Seungwoo had been having since he came in the office that morning, the amount of work he left last week piled up and he was currently drowning, he truly regretted that Friday hung-over.

Seungwoo leaned against his chair and rested his eyes before answering, "Don't you have work, Seungyoun-ah?"

_"Nope, I'm free as a bird today."_

_"That's a fucking lie and you know it,"_ an unfamiliar voice quipped from the line. "_Your mother will have your head served in a silver platter one of these days, Cho Seungyoun."_

Seungwoo heard Seungyoun cursed before the man retorted. _"Shut up, Wang Yibo. This is why your 'Zhan-ge' still treats you like a kid, because you always act like one."_

_"Between the two of us, you're the one who wants to play hooky, so which one's the kid really?"_

Despite being excluded in their conversation, Seungwoo was amused, he suddenly let out a chuckle.

_"Ah, hyung."_ Seungyoun's attention went back to him. _"I'm sorry about that. Yibo was being such an ass, so about that lunch?"_

Seungwoo smiled and shook his head. "Seungyoun-ah, get back to work."

_"Hyuung~"_ Seungyoun let out in a whine. _"I want to go out, I'm bored and stress and I don't know what on god's name is a bear market. The numbers and words on my screen stopped making sense an hour ago!"_

Seungwoo covered his mouth to stop the laughter that was threatening to come out. The Seungyoun on the phone was miles away from the Seungyoun he met at the club just last week. Gone was the hot, enigmatic and infuriating stranger, in his place was this man-child who wanted to play truant and just slightly less infuriating.

Since Seungwoo left Seungyoun's flat last Saturday, the man kept sending him memes and various cute animal videos as well as link to his songs, asking for Seungwoo's opinions (to which Seungwoo responded that he was an amateur at best and Seungyoun should know better but the songs kept on coming.) His phone almost never stopped vibrating yesterday.

Seungwoo found that he didn't mind at all.

He look at his watch and saw that he had time to spare to humor Seungyoun, even for just a little while. "What you need to know is that bear market is bad and you really should have paid attention during your business classes."

_"It was boring back then too. Hyung, take me out for lunch!"_

_"Oh my god, is this how you flirt, Cho Seungyoun?"_ Yibo's scandalized voice could be heard.

_"Shut up!"_ Seungyoun apparently hissed at Yibo. _"Hyung, you didn't hear anything, I wasn't flirting. Nope. Not at all."_

Seungwoo decided to tease. "Weren't you?"

A beat of silence and then, _"Oooh, I see how it is,"_ Seungwoo could already imagine the eyebrow wiggle. _"You're learning already, Hyung."_

"Only from the best," Seungwoo answered.

_"Hey, you're distracting me!"_ Seungyoun's tone was indignant. _"Hyung, you also need to get out of your stuffy four-walled office. Do something unexpected and fun once in a while."_

"My office isn't stuffy, I take offense with that," he retorted playfully.

_"I know it is coz' I'm currently stuck inside one too,"_ then Seungyoun snorted. _"With a little gremlin who has been the bane of my existence since the dawn of time."_

_"Hey!"_

_"Why don't you get out of my office and go back to your race track? See if your little motorcycle tricks could impress your Zhan-ge. For the record, I doubt it."_

_"At least, I'm not on the phone trying to impress a drunken hook up by acting like a child. For the record, I doubt it's working!"_

Seungwoo could feel the blood rush up his face with what Yibo said, does everyone know?

Then he heard the door slammed and an object being thrown at it.

_"I'm sorry about him, Hyung, he's a menace."_

"It's fine, Seungyoun-ah," he answered then his peripheral caught the clock on the opposite wall. "Anyway, I'm sorry but I have to get back to work. The paperwork won't do itself. I need to cut this call short." Seungwoo's tone was apologetic.

_"Oh, so I guess lunch is a no go?"_ Seungyoun's dejected voice floated through the line.

Seungwoo looked at the looming papers on his table and bit his lips.

_"It's fine, Hyung. I'll just stare at these walls for 5 more hours, I've done it before,"_ Seungyoun chuckled. _"Besides, you'll be coming to Hongdae tomorrow, right?"_

"I'll be there," he promised.

_"I'll be expecting you!"_ Seungyoun said cheerfully. _"But for now, I'm gonna call for delivery and stare at these boring walls. See you tomorrow Hyung, don't forget!"_

Even after the call ended, Seungwoo didn't get back to work immediately, he continued staring at the papers.

_Do something unexpected and fun once in awhile._

When few minutes passed he stood up and took his jacket off the chair, it was also the exact moment Yohan entered his office carrying his tablet.

"Good, you're here," Seungwoo remarked on the process of wearing his jacket. "I'll be out for lunch, man the fort."

Yohan's eyes comically bulged out in confusion and shock, "But.. But, you have a lunch meeting with the finance head right now," he touched the screen on his tab and pulled out Seungwoo's schedule for the afternoon. "I am actually here to remind you of that, You can't cannot be there, sir!"

Seungwoo ignored Yohan's panic and just continued putting his wallet inside his breast pocket. "You do it," he ordered and Yohan let out a wail of despair. "We already know what that old man will be talking about, it would practically be a rehash of last week, you know what to do."

Yohan attempted to block Seungwoo's path. "Sir, this is not part of my job description. You can't force me to do this!"

"I can, I'm your boss. It's literally in your job description to make my life easier, and right now you'll be doing it." He steadied Yohan to side-step him and continued his merry way to the door.

Yohan let out another distress signal in form of dolphin noises but before Seungwoo went out of the door, he turned around and added, "And oh, reschedule any of my meetings before 3PM, I'll probably won't be back before then. In the mean time, do my paper works," and he closed the door.

If his office wasn't soundproof he would be hearing Yohan screams about workplace abuse.

While waiting for the elevator, he called Seungyoun.

_"Hyung?"_

"Hey, wanna grab that lunch?"

He could imagine the cheshire cat grin on Seungyoun's face. _"I know the place that serves the best hotpot in this side of town, I'll text you the address, Hyung."_

"Okay, see you."

_"Can't wait."_

* * *

The place that _served the best hotpot in this side of town_ was apparently one of those small, hole-in-the-wall family restaurants that Seungyoun loved going to. Their suits, especially Seungyoun's Givenchy suit didn't at all fit in this setting but somehow Seungyoun didn't seem to care.

They were seated in the corner with a giant plant on one side and a window on the other, sharing a serving of hotpot that Seungyoun was cooking.

"Here, Hyung," Seungyoun said as he piled on meat and vegetable in the bowl and offered it to Seungwoo. "You're gonna forget your name once you tasted it."

Seungwoo smiled indulgently and accepted the bowl. "This is the place that serves the best hotpot, huh?"

Seungyoun beamed. "Yes,"

"You're the one who's cooking," Seungwoo pointed out.

"And that's why it's the best!"

Seungwoo shook his head in amusement and picked up the meat together with some vegetables and after that he tasted the soup.

All the while, Seungyoun continued staring at him.

Seungwoo looked up. "What?"

"How was it?"

He pretended to think it over. "Hmmm..."

When a minute passed and Seungwoo still didn't say anything, Seungyoun lost his patience. "Well?"

He drank the soup once again. "Hmmm.."

"Hyung!"

Seungwoo chuckled. "I'm kidding, Seungyoun-ah," he placed the spoon down and looked at Seungyoun.

"It's the best hotpot in this side of town," he declared.

The celebratory fist bump that followed made Seungwoo cracked up, he almost upend his bowl.

They continued eating while talking. Seungyoun talked about the disaster his morning was and how excited he was about the next day's show while Seungwoo hummed and listened.

Eventually, Seungyoun noticed that Seungwoo wasn't talking at all.

"I was the only one talking, and your humming and chewing your food there," Seungyoun complained.

"I'm not really good at talking," Seungwoo said. "But I'm great at listening."

"Well, that's not fair. Let's fix that. How was your morning, Hyung?"

For the next minutes, Seungwoo found himself talking about his morning, lamenting about the amount of paper work that piled up and answering several clients' complaints on top of that.

He remembered pawning off his lunch meeting to Yohan and he laughed. Yohan's gonna murder him the moment he was back.

Throughout this, Seungyoun simply stared at him and listened.

"Uh, what?" Seungwoo asked. Seungyoun's stare made him feel awkward, he turned to his food and ate his vegetables.

"Nothing. I was just thinking, 'damn, I really like his laugh'," Seungyoun answered bluntly.

Seungwoo proceeded to choke on the cabbage.

Seungyoun's eyes turned crescent as he giggled at Seungwoo's misfortune. He handed Seungwoo a glass of water.

"Ah, Hyung, I'm glad my shock factor hasn't worn off yet. It means I can still surprise you."

Seungwoo drank the water and patted his own chest. "You mean you're still as shameless as before."

Seungyoun chuckled. "Well, from our conversation since Saturday, I got the feeling that you're trapping me into the 'friend-zone' and in my little way I just want to remind you that I find you attractive."

Seungwoo didn't know if the redness on his cheeks was simply the result of nearly choking to death or from Seungyoun's declaration. Maybe it was both.

He placed the glass back on the table. "I'm.. not really looking for a relationship, Seungyoun."

"Hyung, do you know why I stopped us from getting further last week?" Seungyoun asked, there was no need to elaborate on what he meant.

"Uh.." Seungwoo answered intelligently. "Because I was a human equivalent of a train wreck and crying during sex was such a turn-off?"

Seungyoun snorted. "Normally yes, but no that's not really the reason why."

He put down his chopsticks and looked into Seungwoo's eyes. "Because that night, I thought to myself that I like you and I don't want to be just a one-night stand or a rebound guy."

Seungwoo's mouth hanged open.

"You-- you can't just like me after just one night! That's absurd, you don't even know me back then!"

"Hey, I didn't say I love you or something outrageous. I just said I like you! I can find you attractive, can't I? Your personality wasn't needed for that, just your face was enough!" Seungyoun screamed defensively.

Apparently they were too loud that they attracted the attention of patrons from nearby tables, some were bewildered while others were smiling at them, he spotted one teenage girl tapped on her phone frantically while stealing glances at them, giggling.

Seungwoo wanted to sink down into the floor in humiliation. He stood up and left money on the table then pulled Seungyoun out of the restaurant.

Seungwoo didn't stop pulling until they were a good distance away from the restaurant. He was never showing his face there again.

"Hyung, I was supposed to pay, I invited you," Seungyoun complained when they were finally seated at one of the benches at the park or rather, Seungwoo was seated while Seungyoun stood in front of him, hands in his pocket.

"It's fine. I just wanted to get out of there." Seungwoo looked up accusingly. "Do you really have to shout back in there?"

"You started shouting first!"

"Because what you were saying was ridiculous," he retorted. "I can't believe you liked me after just one night."

"Wow, I just said I like you, Hyung. I didn't propose marriage," Seungyoun scoffed. "And to be honest, I just liked your face and body, your personality back then was not something to write home about."

For some reason, Seungwoo felt weirdly offended.

"Well, you were the one who liked me despite my terrible personality."

Seungyoun sighed. "Han Seungwoo-ssi, stop having a hissy fit. God, why are you being difficult? I'm just saying that at first I was attracted to you physically but then I met you again and spent time with you, I found out that there's some soul behind that prickly attitude."

Seungyoun ran his fingers through his hair. "I was planning to have breakfast with you the next day, get to know you more but then of course you had to run off before I wake up. I'm actually glad that I ran into you at the grocery store. I thought, hey, maybe this was fate." The last sentence was almost a whisper, like Seungyoun was embarrassed to say it out loud.

Seungwoo remained silent.

Seungyoun sat down on the same bench as Seungwoo but kept his distance. "Hyung, I simply like you, maybe it's just physical attraction or maybe it's more," he leaned back and looked up at the tree above them. "Can't I find it out?"

After a long silence, Seungwoo whispered, loud enough for only him and Seungyoun to hear. "I can't like you back."

_I have someone I'm waiting for._

Seungyoun shrugged. "I understand, Hyung. You've just been in a break-up and I respect that. You don't have any obligations to like me back. I don't know, maybe what I'm feeling for you _is_ really just physical attraction, maybe you're just this new shiny thing that I am fascinated with."

On his peripheral he could see Seungyoun staring at him. "I don't want to be your rebound guy, so while you're healing and I'm figuring out whether this is just arrythmia or if I'm falling in love, let's be friends for awhile."

Seungwoo faced Seungyoun. "Seungyoun, I don't think--"

Before Seungwoo could finished, Seungyoun interrupted. "Nope. I am not hearing it," then childishly covered his own ears, Seungwoo wanted to smack him. "I told you, I'm fine with being friends for now. Let's slowly get to know about each other, Hyung."

It seemed that Seungyoun wouldn't listen to anything Seungwoo would have to say about the subject, he could only sighed. "Fine. Let's be friends, Seungyoun-ah." He stood up and offered his hand.

Seungyoun smiled, eyes nearly disappearing in his delight. He stood up as well and shook Seungwoo's hand. "Please take care of me, Seungwoo-Hyung."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notice my little homage to the greatest angsty kpop fic of all time? Whaaaaaaa...  
And about the note on the previous chapter, I'm glad that I was able to give you comfort even just a little. I'll reply to everyone in time, please be patient with me. Thank you very much for waiting for every update, I'm grateful you did not give up on this story too. HAHA.
> 
> Anticipate Wooseok in the next chapter. I did not forget him, okay?

**Author's Note:**

> It started as a tweetfic and now we're here. HAHA.  
For some who were familiar with this story, yes, I changed a few things.  
Unbetaed so forgive my grammar mistakes.
> 
> Thoughts?


End file.
